In A Second
by AnotherStatsGuy
Summary: Upon his most recent regeneration, the Doctor has decided to return to 2018 to help Astrid Ferrier & Donald Bruce with the Earth's recovery from the shock of Ramon Salamander's deception. This time, Clara isn't the only companion. At the Doctor's request, Vicki Pallister and her boyfriend Troilius are coming along as well. Tightly woven into both the classic and revived series.
1. The Doctor's Return

Chapter One: The Doctor Returns

When Clara Oswald closed her eyes, all she saw was his grave. She remembered him rescuing her out of his time stream. She saw all of his faces up to that point from that old man to the man she had traveled the universe with. Her time echoes were out there saving the Doctor as she spoke throughout time and space. There was one in Victorian London. There was another trapped on Skaro in the Dalek Asylum. One had suggested which T.A.R.D.I.S. he take back when he first ran away from Gallifrey. But what she really wanted was for him to come around and sweep her off her feet again. He was the older brother she never had had growing up. Lamenting this fact, she walked into her apartment on Baker Street.  
Opening the front door, she saw the T.A.R.D.I.S.  
_"DOCTOR!"_  
_"Hello, Clara._"  
She ran up and hugged him.  
_"Why didn't you come by and see me after you exposed that awful Salamander?"_  
_"Well, different incarnation. I don't think I had met you yet."_  
_"Doctor, what's going on? Oh, you've regenerated."_  
_"Yes, I have. Sorry if I'm just a little bit erratic, I've just regenerated. This is the middle of 2018, isn't it?"_  
_"Uh huh. So?"_  
_"Clara, surely you remember all the natural disasters throughout the past few years that have been caused by the recently deceased Ramon Salamander?"_  
_"Yeah. Why?"_  
_"Well, I'm here to help clean up. Put the world back into place. It recently occurred to me that while I go around and stop the alien invasions, the lives of the survivors are always destroyed, and I always leave before helping them."_  
_"But Doctor not until you tell me what caused you to regenerate!"_  
_"Clara, I can't. I refuse to risk the time stream. As far I'm concerned, you can't even know whether I'm a future incarnation or a past incarnation of your Doctor. Just because an event has happened for you doesn't mean that it has happened to me."_  
_"But Doctor-."_  
_"No, buts, Clara."_  
_"I'm confused, in order to know my name, you would have to be a future incarnation."_  
_"Not necessarily."_  
_"Anyway, what happened with Salamander? You looked a lot like him."_  
_"Oh yes, I used that to my advantage actually. It was an espionage adventure, so unlike the base-under-siege that I'm usually dealing with."_  
_"What happened to Salamander, really?"_  
_"He tried to take control of the T.A.R.D.I.S., flipped the dematerialization circuit, but fell into the time vortex because he didn't understand that you had to shut the door first. But enough about that, are you going to help me?"_  
_"Yes."_  
_"Now, I have two other companions to introduce you. One is a returning companion of mine. The other is her boyfriend. Have you read the play "Troilus and Cressida" by old Billy Shakespeare? Because they're the inspiration."_  
_"WHAT?"_ Clara shouted.  
_"Who is this, Doctor?_", a young woman about Clara's age came out of the T.A.R.D.I.S. A man peered out as well.  
_"Hello, Vicki Pallister. In my life since you've departed the T.A.R.D.I.S., I've had many other companions. This is one of them. Her name is Clara Oswald."_  
_"Hello, I'm Vicki. It's not short for Victoria or any other name. Still, I'm not be confused with one of his other female companions.. I travelled with the Doctor when he looked like a grandfather, an old man. I remember our first adventure, on the planet Dido. It was where I first met the Doctor. I ended up being one of the only two survivors of a spaceship. This is Troilus."_  
_"I was off to visit the time period to help U.N.I.T. when it hit me. I should see Ian and Barbara. And then I remembered one of the conversations I had with Vicki before our first adventure with Steven Taylor. She said that someday we might run into Ian and Barbara again and catch up. So that's what I did. I brought them here._" the Doctor explaining why Clara wasn't the lone companion this time.  
_"I know them! Mr. Chesterton is headmaster at Coal Hill School, his wife is named Barbara."_  
_"How do you know about Coal Hill school?"_  
_"Because… I'm a teacher there."_  
_"Oh, hoh,hoh. How appropriate."_  
_"Why?"_  
_"My granddaughter once attended that school in 1963 on Earth time. Mr. Chesterton and Mrs. Wright were her science and history teachers, respectively. Susan was proving to be a genius in areas that rarely crossed. She was so good, they discussed whether to hand classes over to her or not. Meanwhile, she lacked in basic knowledge in other areas that she should have known. Her inconsistencies baffled them."_  
_"Hang on, your granddaughter once attended Coal Hill School, and Mr. Chesterton and his wife both used to be teachers of her. Did something happen?"_  
_"Yes, we traveled back to 100,000 B.C. back when I was still the First Doctor."_  
_"What?"_  
_"Why don't you ask them yourself?"_  
The four hopped into the T.A.R.D.I.S and whizzed over to the Principal's office at Coal Hill School. Barbara was bringing Ian his lunch which he left at the house that morning. Ian was attending to his duties as headmaster in his office when he heard a familiar whooshing noise.  
_"Barbara, do you hear that?"_ Ian asked his wife.  
_"I hear it, but, it can't be."_ Barbara replied as she heard a sound she hadn't heard in almost fifty years.  
_"Hello, Ian. Hello, Barbara."_ the Doctor replied, stepping out of the T.A.R.D.I.S. with Clara following him.  
_"Doctor, is that really you?"_ Ian looked incredulous.  
_"How can it be him, Ian. He doesn't look the same. He was an old man when we last saw him."_ Barbara pointed out.  
_"I regenerated. It's a Time Lord thing."_ The Doctor answered.  
_"Time Lord?"_  
_"Oh right, you see I'm a Time Lord, and one of our biological process is regeneration, when our body wears thin, we can replace all the cells in it for a new one. And I'm sure you know Clara. And here's Vicki."_  
_"Vicki?! Vicki Pallister?"_  
_"Yes, Barbara, it's me."_  
_"Hello,"_ Troilus entered.  
_"Who are you?"_ Ian asked.  
_"I am Troilus."_  
_"Like the character from the Shakespearean play?"_  
_"As I'm been informed, yes._"  
_"Wait a minute, Vicki, you mean you became Shakespeare's inspiration for Cressida?"_ Barbara responded, aghast._ "I've read that play, and it was based on your lives?!"_  
_"Mrs. Oswald, you know the Doctor?"_ Ian asked.  
_"Yes, I do."_ Clara responded.  
_"Doctor, why are you here?"_ Barbara asked.  
_"I'm here to see my first two companions. But I'm sticking around to help the world recover from Salamander's series of synthetic disasters."_ The Doctor said. _"I'm heading to U.N.I.T. with Mrs. Oswald, Vicki, and Troilus, but before I went, I thought I'd drop by."_  
_"Mr. Chesterton, what exactly happened to you and Mrs. Wright in 100,000 B.C.?"_ Clara asked.  
_"Oh, that was our first adventure. We had absolutely no idea what we'd gotten ourselves into."_ Ian replied.  
_"What a brilliant idea Susan had with those torches and skulls."_ Barbara continued.  
_"Say what? I'm going to need some context here."_ Clara looked incredulous.  
_"We were in 100,000 B.C., and had just discovered the T.A.R.D.I.S. and its interior. The Doctor was more hostile at that point. He kidnapped us. Those first adventures were the worst. On our first trip to Skaro, I thought we would die from radiation poisoning."_ Ian recounted.  
_"The Adventures continued. We saw goodbye to Susan at the end of a Dalek invasion of Earth."_ Barbara continued. _"Soon after, we met Vicki."_  
_"I remember, most of my adventures with the combination of you three ended with me facing the Daleks. You only got back by using a Dalek time travel machine."_ The Doctor replied.  
_"Vicki, what happened with you and the Doctor after we left?"_ Ian left.  
_"Well, we almost immediately found Steven Taylor as a stowaway on the T.A.R.D.I.S. and then we ended up in 1066 off the coast of England. There was a Meddling Monk attempting to stopping the Viking invasion so that England could repel the French invasion at the Battle Of Hastings. He had a T.A.R.D.I.S. and everything!"_ Vicki continued.  
_"Was he another Time Lord?"_ Clara asked.  
_"Yes, while he wasn't villainous, he didn't understand the delicacies of Time travel."_ the Doctor pointed out.  
_"Eventually, I met Troilus and I stayed with him."_ Vicki finished._ "But if the Doctor ever stops by, and asks for us to help him with something, Troilius and I gladly do so."_  
And so the afternoon passed into evening, as Clara asked about the adventures of Ian and Barbara. They told her about their trip to see the Aztecs, how it was to talk to Marco Polo, and so forth. Clara listened in awe to each and every one of those stories. The Doctor had no fear of a time paradox. After all, they only had stories from his first incarnation. He was definitely a later model than his original counterpart.  
_"Barbara, do you remember how I said you couldn't change history? Not one line"_, the Doctor asked.  
_"Yes, why?"_  
_"Well, I have an explanation for you. 'Fixed Point'. That was one of them."_  
_"What's a fixed point? Is this some space-time concept that I'm unfamiliar with?_ " Troilus asked.  
_"Yes, Troilus. A fixed point is an event in space-time that must happen. Or to define it more narrowly, it's not the actual event. It's the consequences originating from it."_ the Doctor explained. He thought to himself.  
_**Good, I'm finally communicating more effectively now. If I'm able to explain a concept like fixed points in space-time to a human being who originated from about 1300 B.C. in words that he can understand, I'm doing a good job.  
**"Well, I think we'd better leave. It's time we pick up Astrid and Donald."_  
_"Wait, Doctor!"_ Barbara exclaimed.  
_"Hmmm, yes?"_ the Doctor responded.  
_"Has the inside of the T.A.R.D.I.S. changed?"_  
_"Yes, it has."_  
_"Can we look at it, for old times' sake?"_ Ian asked.  
_"Well, give me a moment; I'll revert to the old desktop. The one with the round things."_  
_"Did you mean Astrid Ferrier, daughter of the former finance deputy of European zone, Jean Ferrier? Were you referring to Donald Bruce, the security chief for the World President and newly-minted World Vice President?"_ Ian asked, wondering how the Doctor had known those well-known figures in world politics.  
_"Yes. I mean both of them. They helped me stop the attempted world conquering by Ramon Salamander."_  
_"Why are you going to contact them to help you? What about us?_" Barbara asked.  
_"I'm terribly sorry, but you're both too old if something broke out. Those two are still young, and very trustworthy."_  
_"What could possibly break out?"_ Ian pointedly got into the Doctor's face.  
_"Chatterton, this is me we're talking about. I can hardly go anywhere anymore without running into the Daleks invading this planet, or the Sontarians attack that planet or a Zygon infilitration of a moonbase or something of that sort. I just wanted to see you two and have a nice chat about history. No frantically dematerializing while cavemen launch spears at us, no need to figure out the Daleks and their static electricity motors, no need for any of that, my dear boy."_  
_"Boy? I'm an old man, Doctor._" Ian retorted.  
_"Well, before my life is over, I'll have lived more than a millennium and a half."_, the Doctor snarked back. _"Come along,Vicki. It was nice seeing both of you. I'm dropping you off earlier this evening at your home at about 6 P.M. Goodbye, Ian. Goodbye, Barbara."_  
_"Goodbye, Doctor"_, the two said in unison as the T.A.R.D.I.S. materialized outside their flat.  
_"Now, Clara, Vicki, Troilus, let me introduce you to Astrid Ferrier and Donald Bruce. Just a precautionary word, be prepared to help convince them that I am indeed the Doctor. "_


	2. Troilus Vs The World

It had only been a few months since the world had learned of Ramon Salamander's deception and his synthetic disasters, and how Giles Kent had attempted to murder Salamander to gain his power. Salamander had attempted to become dictator of the world by setting his own trusted lackeys in various political offices through assassinations, and control the world's economy. It was almost like the man had read Sherlock Holmes and thought to emulate Professor James Moriarty. It had been a PR disaster for the previous World President that the man, who had, for so long, appeared to be a genius philanthropist, had turned out to be attempting to seize dictatorship of the planet.  
Salamander's own Head of Security, Donald Bruce was one of the only higher-ups in Salamander's 'machine' to not have been publically damaged by the reveal, but that was because he had only been hired by Salamander in the year before the scandal broke. Indeed, Bruce's popularity had risen after the incident, a shining beacon of honesty in all of that corruption. As a result, Bruce had risen to become the World Vice President. While Astrid stayed in London, so she could easily communicate with various politicians, Bruce traveled throughout the world, acting as her eyes and ears.  
Salamander's company had been passed into the hands of his nephew, a young 22 year old named Charles, himself a genius like his uncle. In his first statement after becoming head of Salamander Industries, with tears flowing down his face, Charles had publically apologized for all those wronged by his uncle.  
But now, Astrid Perrier sat in her office as the first female President the World had ever known. U.N.I.T. higher-ups were communicating their concerns about various issues. Most were suggesting preparations for defense against a potential invasion. After all, if some psychotic alien species got wind that the Earth was scattered from this, it might encourage some hostile forces to swoop in, they didn't want another repeat of the Medusa Cascade incident. Inter-stellar politics weren't exactly easy to navigate through. Talks with the Ice Lizard civilization about establishing a mutual, scientific base on Europa were constantly alternating between extremely hot and extremely cold.  
Astrid sat reading paperwork. U.N.I.T. head, Kate Stewart had written a proposal to strengthen the International Space Station. While Salamander was busy plotting to take over the world, Astronomers had noticed a small planetary object had moved into an orbit between the Sun and Mercury. They had christened it Vulcan.

Mrs. President, upon hearing the latest reports about the planet, Vulcan, and various inconsistencies that the various scientific instruments report to us, I suggest strengthening both our space station and our moon base. U.N.I.T.'s budget will provide some of the funds. This may be a plan by the Daleks to stealthily enter our Solar System in preparation of an attack."

"_Well, Kate, it certainly can't hurt."_ Astrid spoke to herself as she read Stewart's italicized handwriting. Just then, a whooshing noise entering her office, and a light breeze ruffled her papers.  
_ "Hello, Astrid. Remember me?",_ the Doctor walked out, grinning. _"I thought I might come back and help out. Fill me in."  
__ "Doctor?"  
__ "Yes, it's me."  
__ "You've changed your appearance!"  
__ "Yes, I'm an alien. I'm Time Lord, I suppose I didn't mention that last time. Regeneration is our species' main traits. You know, humans and Time Lords actually share a common ancestor like the Silurians and the Ice Warriors."_ the Doctor answered. _"And these are my companions. Come on Vicki, Clara, Troilus"_, the Doctor called to his friends.  
_ "Troilus? Like the Shakespearean character?" _Astrid asked.  
_ "Yes. Actually I am him_." Troilus wearily responded. Was he going to hear this every time he was introduced? Vicki and Clara came out of the T.A.R.D.I.S., giggling.  
_ "Doctor, what are you doing here?"_ Astrid asked.  
_ "It's a busy year on Earth. I thought I might check in."_ the Doctor replied.  
_ "Sit down, and tell me everything you've thought of_." Astrid said, gesturing to one of the stately, plush armchairs in front of her desk.  
_ "Well, are you in the middle of talks with the Ice Warriors?"_ the Doctor questioned.  
_ "Yes."_ Astrid replied.  
"_See that it gets accomplished. I can't reveal what that base on Europa does or the discoveries, but I can guarantee that it will help you pretty soon",_ the Doctor continued.  
_ "Do you have any other suggestions, Doctor?"_ Astrid questioned.  
_ "Yes, I do. Improve your ships."  
__ "Like… our spaceships? I can see why that would help, but it may not be economically practicable."_ Astrid retorted.  
_ "Not your spaceships, your ships. You know the ones that travel in the ocean?"_ the Doctor clarified.  
_ "Okay. What do you want us to do with them?"_ Astrid asked.  
_ "Well, engineer them to be quicker. And I know an admiral named Ben Jackson who's excellent with naval maneuvering. "_ the Doctor responded.  
_ "What good would that do?"_ Astrid continued.  
_ "Let me put it to you this way, Mrs. Perrier. Anytime an airship gets involved, there's a risk that it could get blown up, destroyed, or otherwise incapacitated that kills all the passengers. A pilot's error in judgment will, in all certainty, kill him. A naval captain's error in judgment leaves survivors. A regular ship being hit doesn't have the same guarantee of death, and quite honestly, it's much easier to patch a naval ship than a space ship"_ the Doctor listed his reasons.  
Just then Astrid's video phone rang. It was Donald Bruce.  
_ "Hello, Mrs. President - Who are those people!?"  
__ "It's alright, Donald. It's the Doctor. He has some new companions with him."  
__ "But his appearance has - :" _Donald protested.  
_ "I'm a Time Lord. I regenerate."_ the Doctor cut him off. "_Anyway, Donald, how are you?"  
__ "I'm fine, Doctor. I'm in St. Louis, meeting with the head of North American Zone. What brings you here? And here are your companions."  
__ "I'm Clara Oswald. I'm a teacher in London at the Coal Hill School."  
__ "I'm Vicki Pallister. I'm not from this time. And this is my boyfriend, Troilus."  
__ "Troilus? Like the -"  
__ "Yes, like the Shakespearean play character! Because I am him!"_ Troilus bellowed. He was tired of the same reaction to his name.  
_ "Geez, calm down." _Donald responded. _"President Perrier, I just got word from the World Delegation on the Mars. The Ice Warriors have agreed to set up a base on Europa. We're still hammering out the details and the conditions."  
__"Donald, that's excellent. I'll send a transmission via moon base congratulating the delegation. In the meantime, Doctor, why don't you stop by U.N.I.T.? Kate Stewart is asking for Earth's defense to be beefed up. We've recently spotted a new planet in between Mercury and the Sun, and it shouldn't exist. I fear the solar system's methane mines on Saturn's moon Titan may be a target. It's our main source of fuel for energy. If an invading force gets ahold of it, it could be very bad indeed."_ Astrid informed the Doctor.  
_"Astrid, I'll get on it Come on, you three, let's go to U.N.I.T." _the Doctor walked back to the T.A.R.D.I.S. with Clara and Vicki close behind him. Troilus took a last look around the office.  
_"This is the state people have reached? No more wars, everything is solved?"_ Troilus asked the World President.  
_"On Earth, warfare is almost eradicated. In terms of the solar system, and the wider universe, no, it hasn't happened yet"_ Astrid asked, clearly confused that this ancient Greek should understand modern English.  
_"Well, that's good. My cousin Aeneas left in the aftermath of the Trojan War. The last time I saw him he seemed so bitter."_ Troilus responded, flashing back to his last conversation with his cousin.  
_**-Aeneas, we've been rebuilding for years. We've even made peace with the Greeks. Why are you leaving now?  
**__**-You don't understand, my dear cousin. Troy may have been revived, but it is weak, and soon it will collapse again. I've heard of a land far away on a peninsula across the sea. There is a settlement there that I intend to journey to with my followers, and carry on the legacy of Troy.  
**__**-Cousin, I'm staying here.  
**__**-Because of that girl? She is experienced traveler. She will soon grow restless. **__**And when that happens you'll have to do much to keep her. I'm seen it in her eyes.  
**__**-Someone from the royal family must remain. Paris and Hector both died in the war. Cassandra is missing. And now you're leaving. That means I'm the last of the royal family by blood still here. I will not abandon Troy for a long shot.  
**__"Troilus, are you all right?"_ Astrid asked of the ancient Grecian warrior.  
"_Yes. If this is the future, tell me, what happens to Aeneas? Did his plans to create a new civilization succeed? I have to know!"_ Troilus replied.  
_"Relax, Troilus, your cousin helped found Rome, one of the greatest empires in the history of the world. Most of the modern world and its concepts can be traced back to Rome. True, it had its problems; the great fire of Nero's age was one of them. But it lasted a millennium before it split and fell."_ Astrid said, calming Troilus's fears that his cousin had failed.  
"_It fell?"_ Troilus appeared concerned.  
"_Every empire rose and fell. That's why the world government was established. The people were weary of their governments and civilization falling victim to the ravages of time. They wanted something a bit more permanent_" Astrid said, explaining the reasoning behind the creation of the World government.  
_"I have a question, Troilus. How is it that you can speak modern English?"_ Astrid asked, clearly confused.  
_"Oh, before I got here, the Doctor headbutted me, and gave me an intricate knowledge of the English language. He said he had done the same thing to Vicki in order for her to know Ancient Greek. And now I have a question for you. What do the Ice Warriors call their planet?"  
_"_They call it Mars_." Astrid responded.  
"_But that name originated from us here on Earth!"_ Troilus said, equally confused.  
_"Yes. They have a name for it. It's just that they call it Mars because it's much shorter and easier to pronounce than the equivalent in their own language."_ Astrid said, handwaving Troilus's question.  
_"Come on Troilus! We've got to time travel!"_ the Doctor said, stepping out of the T.A.R.D.I.S, and putting his hand on the young man's shoulder. Vicki and Clara were munching on chocolate chip cookies.  
_"So I said to the Doctor, I wanted to continue to travel with him even after he offered me to take me home."_ Vicki was telling Clara.  
_"That fool. Hasn't he figured out yet that if he offers someone the chance to travel space-time with him there's going to take it!"_ Clara responded, laughing.  
_"You know, in my defense, I did have a few companions who had no choice or who didn't want to go at all! They ended up there by accident!"_ the Doctor retorted.  
_"Like who, Doctor?"_ Clara joking asked him.  
_"Let's see, Nyssa had no home when I rescued her from Traken. And Tegan Jovanka kept wanting to get off to go back to her boring job as an airline hostess at Heathrow. Astronaut Steven Taylor just sorta of stowed away on here."  
__"What were you talking to Astrid about, Troilus?"_ Clara asked him, deftly switching topics.  
_"I was asking about the fate of my cousin."  
__"Your cousin?"  
__"Aeneas."  
__"Right."  
__"Did you like the response, Troilus_?" Clara asked, while the Doctor took a drink of his open can of root beer. He was ever so fond of the soda. Vicki munched on a new cookie  
_"Yes. Astrid said his attempts to start a new civilization were a success. It inspired the world as we know it today. Though they were the few rough spots like Emperor Nero's fire."_ Troilus responded. All of a sudden, Vicki gagged and the Doctor spit out his sip of his root beer.  
_"What's that all about?"_ Clara asked.  
_"I'm sorry, Troilus, but that was me."_ Vicki confessed sheepishly.  
_"Yeah, you see at one point, the two of us and Ian and Barbara traveled to Ancient Rome, and well, chaos ensued"_ the Doctor scratched the back of his head guiltily.  
_"Wait, you caused the ancient fire of Rome!? What in the world were you doing?"_ Clara questioned further of her new best friend.  
_"On second thought, I'm not sure I wanted to know."_ Troilus closed the matter. _"You know, Doctor, whatever happened to Katarina? She was one of my sister's, Cassandra, handmaidens and the last time I saw her she departed with you."  
_"_I'm sorry, Troilus, but Katarina, well, she died. She sacrificed herself by throwing herself out of an airlock after she was held hostage with the intent of getting me back into a Dalek trap. I would have gone in order to get her back."  
_Vicki clasped a hand over her mouth.  
_"Wait, Doctor. Who's Katarina_?" Clara asked.  
"_A young woman from ancient Troy. She believed I was the god Zeus, and the T.A.R.D.I.S. was the Palace of Perfection. I never should have agreed to let her come with me. It was the first time I made a mistake that cost a life." _The Doctor explained. Even after all these years, her death still haunted him. _"I have never been so wrong in my life."  
__ "Doctor, you know she may have been wrong about you being Zeus, but she was right about one thing."_ Clara said, comforting the Doctor.  
_"And what was that?"  
__"To your companions, the T.A.R.D.I.S. is a palace of perfection."  
"Doctor, there's something you must know."_ Troilus said, consoling the Doctor.  
_"What?_"  
"_The reason Cassandra chose her to be one of her handmaidens was that she could see into the future and that Katarina would die young."  
__"Cassandra could see into the future?"  
__"Yes."  
__"Hmmm."  
__"You're telling me that there's a reason my sister could gaze into the future?"  
__"Yes. It sounds like someone tampered with her head and inserted a small bit of a time vortex in her."  
__"A time vortex. Are those deadly?"  
__"Usually. But in the right circumstances, someone could control how much the time vortex affects the person. Oh, here we are, U.N.I.T. headquarters" _the Doctor finished.


	3. Once A Companion, Always A Companion

CHAPTER 3:

Kate Stewart was sitting in her father's former office. While her father had given her a rather convenient entrance point into the organization, she had worked her way up much further than he had ever. Comparing her post to her father's, she would have been his direct superior, communicating directly with U.N.I.T.'s board of directors, all members whom doubled as the cabinet of President Ferrier. This allowed for easy communication between U.N.I.T. and the executive branch. A familiar whooshing noise entered her office. Her last meeting with the board had been a nightmare.  
_**Member #1: Mrs. Stewart, you must understand. The stability of the world is already in flux. If we tell the people that there's a risk for an alien invasion from a planetary mass currently within the orbit of Mercury, what would be the reaction?  
**__**Member #2: This mass that the astronomers are dubbing 'Vulcan' so far exhibits traits that Mercury does not. For instance, it has a magnetic field. It also has an elliptic orbit reminiscent of a comet. It rotates clockwise like Venus.  
**__**Member #3: We do agree with your proposal that you sent to President Ferrier that we should improve world security.  
**__**Member #1: While we shouldn't keep the existence of Vulcan classified, we also feel that this should remain private.  
**__**Member #4: I, for one, am concerned about the Doctor. Will he show up as he tends to do in situations like these?  
**__**Kate: I have no idea. But even if the Doctor shows up, there may be certain limits imposed upon him.  
**__**Donald Bruce: Like what, Mrs. Stewart?  
**__**Kate: The first time he appeared on Earth for a long stretch of time, he was without an operational T.A.R.D.I.S., his effectiveness is severely crippled without. Not to mention that, there's always a chance we're not meeting in the right order.  
**__**Member #1: What does that mean, Mrs. Stewart?  
**__**Kate: It means, that just because the Doctor was present for an event on Earth, it doesn't mean that the Doctor that comes to aid has experienced it for himself. We also make sure that the Doctor isn't an imposter.  
**__**Member #3: He's a madman with a big, blue box. He's not hard to mistake.  
**__**Member #2: You might be surprised.  
**__**Donald Bruce: The Doctor's methods are unorthodox, but surprisingly effective. However, Earth must be able to defend itself. He's not always going to be there.  
**__**Member #4: That's the same attitude former Prime Minister, Harriet Jones, had and look at the reaction of the Doctor to her.  
**__**Donald Bruce: Yes. But we should be able to, at least, deal with our own internal threats like Salamander. It's a miracle the Doctor came when he did. To think that the world almost fell into the hands of that megalomaniac, Salamander, I shudder to think of his rule. It would have been a Third Reich all over again.  
**__**Kate: There are two more matters to discuss. Our moonbase has detected a complex structure on Jupiter's moon, Ganymede. We've bounced off some radio waves, but there seems to be no signs of organic life.  
**__**Member #3: Then it could be a move by the Cyberman.  
**__**Donald Bruce: Well, it certainly seems like our solar system is shaping up to be a real interesting place. All these elements coming into play at once. Earth is working on an alliance with the Ice Warriors, which would create a scientific moonbase on Europa. There's a celestial body that rotates like Venus, closer to the sun than Mercury, with a magnetic field like Earth, and it travels around the sun like a comet.  
**__**Member #2: What is the other matter, Kate?  
**__**Kate: We've detected a Silurian settlement on Callisto.  
**__**Member #4: Cripes, when did Jupiter's moons become the hot real estate of the system?  
**__**Member #1: Well, this certainly complicates the field. Are you in contact with them?  
**__**Kate: Not yet.  
**__**Member #3: The Silurians? I thought they were long gone. Earth's old inhabitants, and then they moved onto other planets.  
**__**Member #2: Well, now we know where some of them went. Kate, whatever happens, this must not intervene with our talks with the Ice Warriors.  
**__**Bruce: Meeting adjourned.  
**_ Oh well, at least, it was over now. Her assistant was bringing her the latest stack of papers and memos for her to read, when all of a sudden she heard a whooshing noise. It was a noise unlike any other in the universe.  
_"Hello, Kate Stewart. And who is this? Nice scarf. Who gave it to you?"  
__"The Curator. My name is …"_ Osgood replied.  
_"Osgood."_ The Doctor responded. _"I'm a time traveler; I'm not going to meet everybody in the right order. If you ever run into a woman named River Song, ask her about it."  
__"Doctor, what are you doing here?" _Kate asked.  
_"I came here to help you and the rest of the world pick up the pieces"_ the Doctor replied.  
_"Why? This is so unlike you."_ Kate pointed out.  
"_Well, let's just say I was inspired by your father. By the way, I need to give you a new space-time telegraph unit. It's hotwired straight to the T.A.R.D.I.S."  
__"But ours is working perfectly, Doctor. We don't need a new one."  
__"Yes, you do. Trust me, you'll get some use out of it."  
__"Did you come alone, Doctor?"_ Osgood asked.  
"_No, I brought a few friends of mine. Come on out. Here's Clara Oswald. And Vicki Pallister. And Troilus."  
__"Troilus? Like the Ancient Greek - "_ Kate Stewart asked.  
_"Warrior? Yes. I am him."_ Troilus interrupted.  
_"Well, Doctor, this certainly takes the cake as the most unusual companion you have ever brought to aid U.N.I.T." _Kate commented.  
_"What's that supposed to mean?"_ Vicki asked, ready to defend her boyfriend.  
_"Now, now, Kate, that's not saying much, you've only met one other companions."_ the Doctor said.  
_"Have I?"_ Kate asked.  
_"Oh dear, is there some timey-wimey thing?"_ the Doctor.  
_"Doctor, what about —?"_ Kate asked.  
_"Now, now, Kate, it's no use asking me. As far as I'm concerned, it hasn't happened to me yet."_ the Doctor replied. He was anxious to avoid any time paradoxes. _"Why don't you show us with you've been doing, Kate?"  
__"Well, Doctor, your arrival was unexpected."_ Kate said.  
_"I should pop in more often."_ the Doctor said.  
_"I didn't mean you."_ Kate replied.  
_"Oh, you mean one of my other selves. Has the Third Doctor been visiting into the future and checking up on you lot?"_ the Doctor asked.  
_"Yes. Don't you remember?"_ Kate asked.  
_"No. But that's not surprising. I can't remember everything at once_." the Doctor said.  
_"Well, you certainly landed with a bang Doctor."_ Kate said, _my father told me all about it.  
__**"Dad, tell me another story about the Doctor."  
**__**"Ah, Kate, our first two meetings were something. We went up against these Yeti controlled by a corporal entity known as the Great Intelligence. They looked pathetic, but they were a serious threat. The horror on Professor Travers' face was unmistakable. We fought them in the London Underground. The tube, it always went for the tube, like it thought it might be our weak point."  
**__**"And what about the other times?"  
**__**"Well, the next time I met the Doctor, we went up against the Cybermen. They're big, nasty machines that convert organic life into computers. I still can't believe how the Doctor pulled that one out."  
**__**"What about the time where you met multiple versions of him? That sounds amazing!"  
**__**"Oh, the business with Omega? Well, I didn't know I was well off with one of them. The very fabric of reality was broken. It seemed so random, but all of a sudden, the old Doctor that I had met from my first two encounters had returned. I thought he had changed back, but he told that quite the contrary, he hadn't. He simply hadn't experienced our adventures yet."  
**__**"What happened?"  
**__**"Well, the two Doctors together somehow beat Omega and the antimatter universe Omega had created simply collapsed. They mentioned something about an unconverted recorder."  
**__**"I thought you said there were three?"  
**__**"What? Yes, that's because there were three. The other one was unable to make it. He got trapped in his own little space-time pyramid. Called it a time eddy or something. He could communicate with the others on occasion, but couldn't physically come and help us."  
**__**"Didn't he once crash land here?"  
**__**"Yes, that was my first adventure with the Doctor after his change in appearance. We were dealing with the threat of the Autons, living plastic. I brought him into the fray to work with Mrs. Shaw as a result."  
**_"_Yes, I remember. Or I think I do"_ the Doctor said. _"Did the Nestene Consciousness and the Autons show up soon after?"  
__"Yes."  
__"Oh, what a confrontation that was. Mrs. Shaw was certainly at her finest. How is she?"  
__"She's fine, Doctor. She's actually on the U.N.I.T. board of directors."  
__"Oh, is she?"  
__"Yes. Mrs. Ferrier was quite anxious to have her on the board. She wanted a cabinet member that not only had worked with the Doctor, but could take a scientific approach with the unknown. Her knowledge of U.N.I.T. and of the Brigadier helps immensely. She may be in her mid-80s, but she still remembers her time with you vividly."  
_Kate Lethbridge-Stewart meant it when she talked fondly of Mrs. Shaw. Elizabeth had been a source of guidance for her after her father had passed away; she had given advice on how to work with the Doctor, should he come around.  
_"Martha Jones is also our top strategist, and head of the American sub branch. Her husband, Mickey Smith, is U.N.I.T.'s top tactician. He's also our official field general should an invasion break out. Ben Jackson acts as the head admiral of the navy."_ Kate Stewart continued, feeling that the Doctor should know how far his former companions have progressed. _"All of them showed a relentless drive to excel and a knack for sighting hidden solutions. You've imparted that skill on your companions."  
__"Doctor, how many companions have you had?"_ Troilus asked.  
_"I've had many, Troilus. I've had some in a position similar to yourself who were unfamiliar with their surroundings like Jamie McCrimmon, and I've had others who were, on occasion, smarter than I was in science like Zoe Heriot"_ the Doctor replied. _"Perhaps one of the best I've ever had was Rory Williams. He was unquestionably loyal, and in love with his wife, Amy Pond."  
__"How much in love was Rory with Amy?"_ Clara asked.  
_"Let me put it to you this way, the universe shattered and he died multiple times. It still wasn't enough."_ the Doctor said.  
_"Wow."_ Vicki said.  
_"Why aren't more men like Rory?"_ Clara asked.  
_"Because if every man was like Rory, Amy would get jealous. As far as she's concerned, Rory is exclusively hers. She owns the copyright to him."_ the Doctor replied. _"No, seriously, if you look up copyrights, Amy Pond and her heirs own the rights to badass Rory Williams."  
__"Why would she need to own the rights to Rory?"  
__"Because if she didn't, people would get the bright idea to clone him. Armies of Rorys. The universe couldn't handle it." _the Doctor said.  
_"Are you serious?"_ Vicki asked.  
_"Yeah, it was an alternate timeline I stopped. Man, that was fun"_ the Doctor said.  
_"I don't know where to laugh due to hilarity or be scared that one man is that fierce of a warrior._" Troilus said.  
_"Doctor, what does any of this have to do with anything? Are you planning to recruit Amy and Rory?"_ Osgood asked.  
_"No. I wish I could. But they're trapped in 1930s New York, and I can't ever visit them. Time paradoxes abound"_ the Doctor said. _"But how's Brian?"  
_"_Brian?_" Osgood asked.  
"_Brian Williams? Rory's father?"_ the Doctor asked. _"Oh, never mind."  
_Clara was pacing around the office. She spotted a photograph of a young girl with a military man. The military man looked stern, but his eyes, they twinkled.  
_"Mrs. Stewart, is this your father?"_ Clara asked the head of U.N.I.T.  
_"Yes, Brigadier Alstair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart. He was my father and a frequent associate of the Doctor."_ Vicki and Troilus walked over to glance at the photograph. The man seemed stern, but fair.  
_"Ma'am, I have some other tasks I must attend. I'm leaving."  
__"Thanks, Osgood."  
__"Goodbye, Osgood"  
__"Goodbye, it was nice meeting all of you."_ Osgood walked out of the office.  
The Doctor continued to pace about.  
"_What's wrong, Doctor?"_ Vicki asked.  
The Doctor strolled over to Kate's desk.  
_"I don't know what. But you ever get the feeling that things are going too well? The government is communicating perfectly. All the disagreements are being handled smoothly. The Ice Warriors are in peaceful talks with Earth. But scientists have dubbed an unknown planetary object as Vulcan. There's a Silurian settlement on Ganymede. Ben and Polly used to call it intuition, but I get the feeling there's something wrong here_" the Doctor said.  
_"I never told you any of that, Doctor. What makes you say that?"_ Kate said.  
_"I read it off your desk, and you've just started keeping tabs on Dodo Chaplet here in 2018."_ the Doctor said.  
"_It's standard procedure. We keep a lookout for your known companions."_ Kate Stewart said. _"Do you have a problem with it?"  
__"Yeah, I do. She's sixteen here."  
__"So? I still don't see the problem. You said herself that was the age she stopped travelling with you._" Kate asked.  
_"She was sixteen when she wandered off away from the T.A.R.D.I.S. after I met Ben and Polly. But that was 1966. It's been over fifty years and by the looks of this photograph, she hasn't aged a day." _the Doctor said.


	4. Logistics With The Doctor

"_She was sixteen when she wandered off away from the T.A.R.D.I.S. after I met Ben and Polly. It was 's been over fifty years and by the looks of this photograph, she hasn't aged a day." _the Doctor said.  
_"Doctor, how can that be?"_ Kate asked.  
"_I don't know. Time travel, maybe. But here's the problem, I'm the only active Time Lord on this side of the universe."  
__"What about the Master?"_ Clara asked.  
_"The Master doesn't really time travel."_ the Doctor said.  
_"Who's the Master?"_ Vicki asked.  
"_The Master is a rival Time Lord of mine. Whereas I want to restore peace and balance to the universe, he strives for the exact opposite. As far as he's concerned, I'm his lone worthy opponent. It's why he won't kill me."_ the Doctor said.  
_"Is he your brother?"_ Troilus asked.  
_"What makes you say that?"_ the Doctor asked.  
_"Your tone of voice."  
__"Well, the last time I met the Master, it was at the end of my time as the Tenth Doctor. Strange, I don't recall ever meeting him as the Eleventh Doctor. But back to Dodo Chaplet. There is one other possibility."  
__"Your future self?"_ Clara asked.  
_"No. The Monk. He may have fixed his own T.A.R.D.I.S. It's time I locate him."  
__"The Monk? But I thought his T.A.R.D.I.S. was broken when we last saw him."  
__"It was. He fixed it. I broke it again, but it appears he has fixed it again."  
_Kate Stewart remembered something one of the members had told her during proceedings. The Ice Warriors had an alien member with a T.A.R.D.I.S. in their possession. He had landed on their planet by accident, and the Ice Warriors had kept him and said that they would release him only to the Doctor.  
_"Well, Doctor, if you're looking for him. He may be in Mars. The Ice Warriors mentioned having a Time Lord there after he crash-landed on their planet."  
__"Oh, dear, and how are the Ice Warriors treating him?"  
__"Fine. They're actually waiting for you to come by."  
__"Why?"  
__"They feel that it is best for a member of his own race to come and retrieve him."  
__"Alright, I'll go and get him after I figure out this business with Dodo."  
__"Doctor, I've had to hold this question in for the last few minutes, but who is Dodo?"_ Vicki asked. _"I never traveled with her."  
__"You see, Vicki, after you left, I continued traveling with Steven. We ended up on the eve of St. Bartholomew's Massacre. Oh, Steven nearly had a heart attack when he discovered in the river a deceased abbot who was a dead ringer for my first incarnation."_ the Doctor.  
_"Euhhh, Doctor."_ Troilus spoke,  
_"Hehe, that's exactly what Jamie said after I commented that some broken Cybermat converters had had a 'complete metal breakdown'. But anyway, we met this woman named Anne Chaplet. We had to leave her behind. But at our very next stop, we ran into her descendant named Dorothy, or Dodo for short."  
__"And then what happened, Doctor?"_ Vicki asked.  
_"Well, nothing much. We traveled together with Steven to various places, but right after Steven left, I met Ben and Polly. Dodo disappeared at the end of my first adventure with Ben and Polly."  
__"So, what's wrong with that, Doctor?"_ Clara asked.  
"_Well, that's just it. I don't remember anything unusual happening. I mean, Clara, sometimes I'm drawn to a particular person as a companion like you. You have echoes of yourself throughout space and time. But Dodo was just an ordinary girl."  
_Just then, Kate received a phone call. It was Polly Wright.  
_"Hello, Polly. Slow down. What do you mean, she just showed up on your doorstep? I know you're concerned, but the Doctor's actually here_." Kate replied.  
There was some muffled response.  
_"Yes, yes, he's actually here. I'll put him on the line."_ Kate said,  
_"Doctor, Dodo, she's here. She just showed up, claimed she needed a place to crash. She said she had nowhere else to go at the moment." _Polly said.  
_"Hello to you too Polly. How's Ben?"_ the Doctor asked.  
_"Ben is fine. He'll be overjoyed to see you. But Doctor, please come by soon. I don't know what to do. Is this some alien plan? I'm sorry for being so paranoid, but that's from our days of adventuring." _Polly frantically continued.  
_"I don't blame you about being paranoid. I'll show up there soon. What's your address? Baker Street? I was just there."_ the Doctor said, hanging up the phone.  
_"Right you lot, I'm travelling to Ben and Polly's house. It's on Baker Street. Come on the four of yea, let's go!"_ the Doctor exclaimed.  
_"Wait, Baker Street?" _Clara said. _"Ben and Polly live on Baker Street. Are you serious?"  
__"Yeah, I'm serious"_ the Doctor said.  
_"All this time, two of your former companions lived on the same street as me." _Clara said disbelievingly.  
"_Yeah, well, consider Ben and Polly the proto-typical versions of Rory and Amy or would Rory and Amy have been Ben and Polly 2.0?"  
_The T.A.R.D.I.S. materialized in the sitting room of Ben and Polly. Dodo was there, stretched out. She was passed out on the couch. Her black hair lay strewed about. It reminded the Doctor of the death position of the Victorian Clara.  
Just then, Dodo opened her eyes.  
_"Doctor?"  
__"Hello, Dorothy."  
__"How's your tooth?"  
__"Well, I wish I could say I've avoided the American West since then but that would be a lie."  
__"You've changed your appearance."  
__"Yes, Dodo. I never brought this up but I'm a Time Lord. It's a biological process, full cell replacement, including the brain. But, what happened?"  
__"I don't know, Doctor. I remember leaving you to get some rest and relaxation. I know I went back to my aunt's place, finished my schooling, and was off to a university, and then I remembered being in the London Underground and after that I can't remember. What happened?" _Dodo asked.  
_"Fifty years happened, and you haven't aged."_ the Doctor said.  
_"That's impossible."_ Dodo said.  
_"Yeah, well. He's dubbed me the impossible girl."_ Clara snarked.  
"_Clara, please"_ the Doctor said.  
_"Who are you? All of you?" _Dodo asked.  
_"Right, obviously, you need to be caught up_." the Doctor said. _"These are my companions, Clara, Vicki, and Troilus. Vicki was your predecessor, and left to be with Troilus here." _The Doctor pointed to both of them. Troilus raised an eyebrow.  
_"Aren't you going say it?"_ Troilus asked.  
_"Say what?"_ Dodo replied.  
_"Say that my name resembles the character in Shakespeare's play?"_ Troilus answered.  
_"Sorry, I skipped all of Shakespeare in Literature class. It's boring. Why, were you named after him or something?"_ Dodo responded. _"Oh, dear, I feel rather faint. My vision's going all weird. I'm seeing things. And what's her name?" _She said, pointing at Clara.  
_"Oh, her?" _the Doctor said. _"Her name is Clara."  
__"Clara!? The one who squirted me with water from those … fake … flowers_?" Dodo nodded off.  
"_Oh, dear. Something has addled Dodo's mind."_ the Doctor said.  
_"Well, Doctor, U.N.I.T. has much better facilities than Ben and Polly's couch. I hope you don't mind if we take it from here."_ Kate said.  
_"Is she going to be alright?"_ Ben asked. "_I mean, we are very concerned for her."  
__"I mean, it's not every day that someone you thought you would be time-traveling with appears on your front door without aging." _Polly commented.  
_"Doctor, will all of your former companions be making an appearance?"_ Vicki asked. _"Because we're up to how many have we met now within the last 36 hours? Eight. With several others being mentioned."  
__"Yes, you do seem to be right. And no I don't think all of my former companions will be appearing. That would be too contrived. Hmmm, that leaves only Steven Taylor unaccounted for."  
__"Steven Taylor?"_ Troilus asked_. "That man with the slicked-back hair?"  
__"Out of all the companions from my first incarnation, he's the only one who hasn't appeared yet."  
__"What about Susan?"_ Vicki asked.  
_"Oh, Susan doesn't count as a companion. She's my granddaughter. She's family. And in all of my years, I've determined the difference between her and my companions. Family is someone you care for, someone that you raise or who raises you. A companion is a cherished assistant, someone who knows your little idiosyncrasies, who's completely independent, who could survive on their own. My companions all change me fundamentally."  
__"What an accurate differentiation."_ Kate noted.  
_"Yes, I know. When you've experienced a great deal in life, you tend to be able discern differences in meanings that, to most people, are fundamentally the same. For instance, there's a different between a great athlete and a successful athlete. A successful athlete excels at the game. A great athlete evolves the game."  
__"What does that have to do with anything?"_ Clara asked.  
_"Nothing, I just was trying to use a good example for once, not try to explain a metaphor, hopelessly ramble on it, confusing my companions, and then realize that the metaphor was never all that great of explanation to begin with"_ the Doctor said, poking fun at some of his past explanations. He chuckled at that thought.  
_"What's so funny, Doctor?"_ Polly asked.  
_"Sorry, I was once asked whether or not lakes were frozen on the planet Marinus and my response was redundancy at its finest."  
__**Are the lakes frozen?  
**__**No, impossible at this temperature. Besides it's too warm.  
**__"What a time we had on Marinus, one of the few times the adventure actually took us into different climates."_ the Doctor said.  
_"What does that mean?"_ Ben asked.  
_"Well, most of the time my adventures are largely contained to a small area on a planet. A single environment if you will. Now, Marinus and the search for its keys had us travel all over the planet. But enough rambling about that, Troilus, help me carry Dodo into the T.A.R.D.I.S. See ya, Ben and Polly."  
__"We're coming too"_ the two said in unison.  
_"Alright. Kate, how long does it take by car to get from Baker Street to U.N.I.T. Headquarters?"  
_"_Why, Doctor?"_ Kate asked.  
_"Because if we show up there now, it just screams 'Look at me! We all just arrived in a T.A.R.D.I.S.!'"_ the Doctor said.  
_"Why not just transport her via car?"_ Vicki asked.  
"_We don't know what's wrong with Dodo yet. Let's say she has a limited amount of time for treatment. I would rather use as little as possible of her time transporting her, and more time treating her."_ the Doctor explained.  
As everyone shuffled into the T.A.R.D.I.S., the Doctor commented that he couldn't remember the last time he had this many people travelling with him at once. In a matter of seconds on the T.A.R.D.I.S. timeline, it materialized at the U.N.I.T. hospital wing.  
As Dodo was hastily put into a hospital bed and scanned, a familiar red-haired woman came up to the Doctor.  
_"Hello, Doctor. You look younger."_ Liz Shaw commented.  
_"Dr. Elizabeth Shaw, one of the best minds U.N.I.T. ever had, and an early co-worker of min here at U.N.I.T. Shame you left so soon, Liz, I would have liked to have traveled with you a bit, expanded your scientific mind and all that."  
__"It's quite all right, Doctor. I recognize you two, Admiral Ben Jackson and his wife Polly. Who are you?"  
__"My name is Clara Oswald, I'm the Doctor's companion. Though the way things have been going I'm not sure if I'm his future companion, present companion, or past companion."_ Clara replied.  
_"My name is Vicki."  
__"My name is Troilus."  
__"Troilus? Doctor, don't tell me you actually brought Troilus from Shakespeare's Greek play "Troilus and Cressida"?"  
__"And what if I did?"_ the Doctor slyly asked.  
_"Why?"_ Dr. Shaw asked.  
_"Because Vicki is both in love with him and wanted to accompany me on this particular adventure" _the Doctor replied.  
_"Well, this is a first. Someone who put two and two together so quickly, that with a time traveler a guy named Troilus is probably the original."_ Vicki sweetly whispered to Troilus.  
"**Damn, I need a male friend who isn't the Doctor."** Clara thought.  
_"And is the woman in the hospital bed, Dodo Chaplet?"_ Mrs. Shaw asked.  
_"I'm not an adult! I'm eighteen. At least, I think I am."_ Dodo scathingly replied, before falling back asleep.  
_"Sorry. Female."_ Dr. Shaw corrected.  
"_Yes. You see, it's all very confusing. Dodo remembers finishing up grade 12 and draws a blank in her memories. But you see, I dropped her off in 1966, and she finished grade 12 in 1969. And since then, she hasn't aged!"_ the Doctor exclaimed.  
_"She showed up on our doorstep not an hour ago."_ Ben said.  
"_Dodo seemed almost ready to collapse. She kept muttering a single phrase over and over and over again."_ Polly volunteered.  
_"And what was that?"_ Kate Stewart asked.  
_"It was 'the intelligent Toymaker'. Doctor, what does that mean?"_ Ben sounded worried.  
_"So he's back."_ the Doctor mentioned. _"but where?"  
__"Who's back?"_ Vicki asked.  
_"The Celestial Toymaker." _the Doctor replied_. "Oh dear. I'll be right back. I have to pick up someone first."_


	5. Speculation & Contemplation

"_So he's back."_ the Doctor mentioned. _"but where?"  
__"Who's back?"_ Vicki asked.  
_"The Celestial Toymaker." _the Doctor replied_. "Oh dear. I'll be right back. I have to pick up someone first."  
__"Doctor, where are you going? Who are you picking up?"_ Vicki asked.  
_"Well, you'll see. Ben, I'd appreciate it if you come with me for this."  
__"Why, Doctor?"  
__"Some familiar faces will be coming aboard."  
__"Doctor, I'm going with you."_ Clara said  
_"No. For this trip, I need someone who's spent a large quantity of time with me in multiple incarnations."  
_The Doctor and Ben Jackson entered the T.A.R.D.I.S. With a whooshing noise, they landed on a familiar planet. He was here to pick up someone on this planet. Coming across a medieval village of humanoid aliens, some called the Elders, some called the Savages. Taking advantage of the T.A.R.D.I.S.'s translator matrix, the Doctor asked for an old friend.  
_"Hello, I'm looking for Steven Taylor."  
__"Oh you mean, Leader Steven? And who are you?"  
__"I'm the Doctor."  
__"Oh, Leader Steven always spoke of his travels with you. You gave him such insight. I'll run and get him."  
__"Thank you."  
__"Who's Steven, Doctor?"_ Ben asked.  
"_Do you remember, how when you came aboard, Dodo had already departed?"  
__"Yeah."  
__"Well, Steven traveled with myself and Dodo for a while. He departed to be meditator between two warring races on this planet right before you and Polly joined me. His days of travelling stretch back to those of the Meddling Monk adventure with Vicki." _the Doctor said, giving a quick recap to an old companion.  
_"The two races actually asked me to stay behind, and help them. But Steven was more adept at it than I was. I probably would have messed it up or something. Well, in retrospect, I think I should have stuck around a bit to aid Steven in the beginning. It was one of those missteps I wish I could rewrite."  
__"And that's why you don't tend to stick around anymore. Because everytime you do, it reminds you of this."  
__"Partially. And partially, it's who I am."  
__"And who are you?"  
__"I'm a Time Lord running around the universe in a big, blue police box."  
_Steven Taylor approached the T.A.R.D.I.S. It had been ten seasonal cycles since he last saw it. The Doctor had changed; apparently he had other companions now too. There had been others who had been molded by the Doctor, and judging by his face, a lot of them.  
_"Hello, Doctor."  
__"Hello, Steven."  
__"You've come back."  
__"Of course I've come back! Listen, I need your help. There is something terribly wrong with Dodo. She keeps repeating the phrase "the intelligent Toymaker. Now do you remember the Celestial Toymaker" - _Steven's face went white as chalk. _**The Celestial Toymaker? Oh no. If he's come back, that can't be good. What sick games will we have to play with this cheater this time in order to survive? **__- "and how I said the Toymaker could never be destroyed?"  
__"Yeah."  
__"Well, he's not destroyed anymore."  
__"Where is he?"  
__"I don't know. The moment I realized the Toymaker was back in the picture, I rushed to the T.A.R.D.I.S. to pick you up."  
__"All right, Doctor, and who is this man accompanying you?"  
__"My name is Ben Jackson." _Ben said._ "I've travelled with the Doctor. I even saw his first regeneration on Mondas."  
__"Regeneration. Is that why you look different, Doctor?"_ Steven asked.  
"_Yes. Now come on, you too."  
__"A couple of other former companions. Steven, there is one question I want to ask you. Last time I was here, I never found out the name of this planet. What is the name of it?"  
__"Trenzalore."  
__"I'm sorry?"  
__"Trenzalore."  
__"Oh, so that wasn't the first time."  
__"Doctor, you've been to Trenzalore another time?" _Ben asked.  
_"Yes."  
__"You've been here? Why didn't you visit?" _Steven asked.  
_"I was in a different place, if not a different time, Steven."  
__"What happened?" _Ben questioned.  
_"Well, it was a rather grave matter. And that's all I'll say about it."  
__"Come on."  
_Inside the T.A.R.D.I.S., the Doctor fiddled with the controls. Steven and Ben got to talking about their travels with the Doctor, questioning each other, desperately trying to put their heads together for anything that might help with Dodo.  
_"So, you traveled with the Doctor? When?"_ Steven asked.  
_"It was Dodo's last adventure. Right after you left, apparently."_ Ben replied.  
_"And nothing strange happened to Dodo on that adventure."_ Steven questioned.  
_"Not that I can remember, I never really spent that much time with her. Dodo and Polly did spend a fair amount of time together."  
__"Polly? She your girlfriend?"  
__"She wasn't when we wandered into the T.A.R.D.I.S., but our travels brought us together. We're now married."  
__"Congratulations"  
__"Thank you."  
__"So what happened to the Doctor?"  
_"_Well, as far as I can remember we were on the rogue planet Mondas where the Cybermen originated. The year according to Earth was 1986. The Doctor had kept getting weaker and weaker. His last words before he collapsed were:"  
_**Ah yes. Thank you. It's good. Keep Warm.  
**"_And then he regenerated." _Ben finished._ "Did you have any notable adventures with the Doctor?"  
__"Well, yes. I mean, I ran into this Monk with his own T.A.R.D.I.S. once."  
__"Oh, Vicki's already told that story to everyone."  
__"Vicki? She's there too?"  
__"Yeah, and so is Polly, and Troilus, and few other future companions and members of U.N.I.T."  
_"_We've landed!" _shouted the Doctor.  
_"We're back in 2018?" _"Ben asked.  
_"2018?"_ Steven repeated.  
_"Yes, I know it's primitive by the standards of your origins, but that's when everybody is."_ the Doctor replied. _"And out we go."  
_The three men walked out of the T.A.R.D.I.S., they were back in Dodo's hospital room.  
_"Steven!" _Vicki shouted. _"It's good to see you."  
__"It's good to see you."_ Steven replied. _"Dodo."  
__"Yes. She's passed out again."_ Liz Shaw informed the group.  
_"How long were we gone?"_ the Doctor asked.  
_"About an hour."_ Kate Stewart answered.  
"_Steven, Dodo mentioned "the intelligent Toymaker" and her response to the name 'Clara' was_ '_Clara!? The one who squirted me with water from those … fake … flowers_?'" Clara said. _"The Doctor thinks that refers to one of his adversaries, 'The Celestial Toymaker'."  
__"Yes, the Doctor has told me all about it." _Steven grittily replied.  
_"So, what do you remember about the confrontation?"_ Troilus asked.  
_"Well, there wasn't a confrontation. At least not your typical one." _Steven responded.  
_"What do you mean, not your typical confrontation?"_ Polly questioned.  
_"Well, what I mean is that usually the Doctor defeats and/or severely cripples the activities of his foe. This time it was more of 'We barely escaped.'"  
_Just then Dodo woke up.  
_"I feel much better now._" Dodo said.  
_"Everything seems normal."_ the doctors said.  
_"Well, that just can't be right."_ Liz Shaw said.  
_"We'll double check everything tonight."_ the doctors replied as Kate Stewart and Liz Shaw walked out the double-doors of the hospital wing.  
_"I hope it's not just relapse."_ Vicki said, as she and Clara filed into the T.A.R.D.I.S., with Steven and Troilus close behind.  
_"If she gets discharged, let us know, she'll stay with us for the time being._" Polly requested of the doctors.  
While the Doctor dropped off Ben and Polly in their home, and Clara at her home, (Vicki and Troilus would be residing in the T.A.R.D.I.S. along with Steven.) Kate Stewart and Liz Shaw were engaged in a deep four-way conversation with Astrid Ferrier and Donald Bruce.  
"_More friends of the Doctor are coming. Dodo Chaplet awoke briefly, and within a few sentences had, intentionally or not, convinced the Doctor to return with another former companion."_Stewart said.  
"_Who is it?" _Donald asked.  
_"What did Ms. Chaplet say?" _Astrid asked.  
_"Ms. Chaplet mentioned something about 'the intelligent Toymaker'." _Dr. Shaw confirmed._ "It caused quite the reaction within the Doctor."  
__"His companion that he brought back was Steven Taylor." Kate continued.  
__"And what about Dodo?" _Donald asked.  
_"She's currently unconscious at the U.N.I.T. hospital. They're running tests on her before releasing her to the care of Admiral Jackson and his wife. We don't know yet what's going on with her, but we believe that it is best to let Dodo be among friends and familiar acquaintances." _Liz replied.  
"_And what's this business with 'the Intelligent Toymaker'? I don't like the sound of this." _Astrid commented.  
_"Neither do I."_ Donald seconded.  
_"I do have one possible solution." _Kate volunteered.  
_"And what is that, Mrs. Stewart?"_ Astrid asked.  
_"One of the stories my father told me was of an invasion of robotic Yeti controlled by this corporal entity known as the Great Intelligence. That might account for the use of the word 'intelligent'."  
__"I remember that."_ Dr. Shaw said. _"As a matter of fact, it was why I came to work for U.N.I.T. in the first place. The robotic Yeti kept attacking the London underground. As it turned out, it was U.N.I.T.'s first encounter with a foe of an extraterrestrial origin. Only the Doctor kept the whole of U.N.I.T. from getting slaughtered. Following that incident, U.N.I.T. asked me to join them. Fearing for the safety of the planet, I agreed."  
__"But what about "Toymaker"? _Donald pondered.  
_"Steven mentioned it/him as one of adversaries he, Dodo, and the Doctor had gone up against when they were traveling together. The way Steven put it, instead of triumphing like they usually do, they barely escaped." _Dr. Shaw filled in._ "But that's all the information I have."  
__"Well, that explains why the Doctor brought back Steven."_ Astrid said, as the discussion between the four continued on the plans to anticipate what could possibly happen within the solar system.  
Meanwhile, in Ben and Polly's sitting room Steven and the Doctor were engaged in serious conversations. It was 11 PM local time. The day's events had exhausted Ben and Polly and they had gone up to bed. The Doctor had pointed Vicki and Troilus into the direction of a large hammock, where she currently lay, passed out. The Doctor wanted to sleep soundly, thank you very much.  
"_Doctor, what's your connection to Trenzalore? '__**Well, it was a rather grave matter.**__'_ " Steven asked.  
_"Steven, when you're a time traveler, there is one place you must never find yourself."  
__"And where's that, Doctor?"  
__"Your grave"  
_"_Your grave? You've actually seen your own grave! What happened?"  
__"I don't want to talk about it."  
__"Doctor, if the Toymaker has come back, how are we going to stop him?"  
__"I haven't the faintest idea until I know what we have to work with. But that's why I wanted someone else who had been there the first time. It's why I asked you to come back for this time."  
__"Doctor, it is 11:15 PM. I think we need some rest."  
__"Yes."  
_The Doctor was about to go to sleep when he got a call on his portable phone. He had rewired the phone back to the console unit, and then set up a wireless phone that connected to the console unit. He was about to disregard the phone call when he look at the number and the caller ID say "Chesterton".  
_"Hello."  
__"Hello, Doctor. This is Ian. I'm calling you because I've heard about Dodo Chaplet."  
__"Yes. What connection do you have to Dodo?"  
__"I looked through her records, she actually went to Coal Hill School, but Kate Stewart recently informed us of her situation."  
__"Yes, but that's not the only reason you're calling me, is it?"  
__"No, Doctor. You see, it's Clara. She is quickly gaining a reputation as one of the best teachers. Sometimes it feels like that the only reason Coal Hill School continues to get enough students is because of Mrs. Oswald. Are you familiar with the American type of upper school known as the magnet school?"  
__"Vaguely. And you're saying that Coal Hill School operates the same way?"  
__"Yes. The basis of a magnet high school is that the tuition is free. Neighborhood applicants from lower income families and orphanages apply. It serves as way to give a good education to those otherwise may not be able to afford it."  
__"Yes, I understand."  
__"But recently, attendance at Coal Hill School has dropped. It hit an all-time low in Mrs. Oswald's first year, and we almost were shut down because of a lack of pupils, but word of mouth spread about Mrs. Oswald's brilliance as a teacher in the classroom, and the attendance has picked up as a result."  
__"So, what you're saying is that Clara's skill in the classroom is all that's keeping Coal Hill School from folding?"  
__"It might as well be. Doctor, I've seen some amazing pupils go to class here, including Susan. Many of those brilliant pupils had little to no resources, but every time a former student comes back for anything, it warms me to the core. It's the greatest joy as a teacher to see how far a former student has gone and to think just how much they've grown."  
_The conversation between Ian and the Doctor continued. Meanwhile, Troilus lay in the hammock aboard the T.A.R.D.I.S. Vicki was clutching his chest. She appeared more content now than she had ever been. It had been ten, maybe fifteen minutes since Steven retired to his separate room. His mind drifted back to his last conversation with Aeneas.  
_**Someone from the royal family must remain. Paris and Hector both died in the war. Cassandra is missing. And now you're leaving. That means I'm the last of the royal family by blood still here. I will not abandon Troy for a long shot.  
**__**Troilus, it's just as long of a shot to stay in Troy too. How fertile is ground soaked in blood? War leaves scars. Most of the time those scars can never be healed.  
**__**But people have lived their entire lives here! You can't just uproot them.  
**__**Troilus, the song of Troy has ended. But you don't understand. The story never ends.  
**_Suddenly, Troilus got up. He found himself unable to fall asleep. He untangled himself from the hammock and went up to the T.A.R.D.I.S. console. He stared at the many buttons and levers. He wondered if the Doctor had an information data bank where he kept records of his experiences. He didn't see any knob that indicated otherwise, so rather than be foolhardy, and start tapping random buttons, he tried to see if the databank was voice-activated.  
_"T.A.R.D.I.S. Do you have any information about the Toymaker?"  
_Suddenly a hologram of a blonde haired girl appeared.  
_"Yes. Do not be alarmed. Holograms are my natural interface for voice-activated commands. You are not the Doctor."  
__"I'm a companion of his."  
__"Why are you asking for information?"  
__"Because I cannot sleep, and I've just seen a teenage girl who hasn't aged in fifty years and muttering "the Intelligent Toymaker."  
__"Describe the girl."  
__"She had dark brown hair, looked about 16 or 17."  
__"Did she look like this?" _The hologram switched appearances.  
_"No. Who's that?"  
__"That was Susan Foreman, the Doctor's granddaughter." _the T.A.R.D.I.S. said_. "What about this?"  
__"No, that's Vicki."  
__"All right, maybe this is the one?"  
__"Yes."  
__"This is Dodo Chaplet."  
__"All right, what can you tell me about her?"  
__"I'm afraid not much. Dodo is a cheerful girl. She believes in the best in people. She does not like other people pitying her."  
__"Anything else?"  
__"No."  
__"Well, what about does 'the intelligent Toymaker' bring to mind?"  
_"_The Great Intelligence and the Celestial Toymaker"  
__"What about them?"  
__"For much of the Doctor's life, the Great Intelligence influenced him without him knowing. Now he knows. The Intelligence has tried to invade Earth using a variety of winter-themed invasions. There was the conscious snowman, and both of the Yeti invasions. Of note, the Great Intelligence bears similarities to another corporal entity, the Nestene Consciousness, controller of the living plastic Autons."  
__"And what about the Celestial Toymaker?"  
__"Data-banks indicate that the Doctor has gone up against him on a few occasions. One of those involved his companions, Steven and Dodo."  
__"T.A.R.D.I.S., there is one more question I have to ask you."  
__"Yes, Troilus, what is it?"  
__"That original form you took. Who was it?"  
__"Rose Tyler. That is also appearance of "The Moment" and "Bad Wolf"."  
__"Bad Wolf?"  
_All of a sudden, the T.A.R.D.I.S. played a holographic message. "_This is the origin of the Bad Wolf. __**This is Emergency Program One. Rose, now listen, this is important. If this message is activated, then it can only mean one thing. We must be in danger. And I mean fatal. I'm dead or about to die any second with no chance of escape. **__**[long pause] **__**And that's okay. Hope it's a good death. But I promised to look after you, and that's what I'm doing. The T.A.R.D.I.S. is taking you home. **__**[long pause] **__**And I bet you're fussing and moaning now. Typical. But hold on and just listen a bit more. The T.A.R.D.I.S. can never return for me. Emergency Program one means I'm facing an enemy that should never get their hands on this machine. So this is what you should do. Let the T.A.R.D.I.S. die. Just let this old box gather dust. No one can open it. No one'll even notice it. Let it become a strange little thing standing on a street corner. And over the years, the world'll move on and the box will be buried. And if you want to remember me, then you can do one thing. That's all; one thing. Have a good life. Do that for me, Rose. Have a fantastic life. **__Rose Tyler was stubborn. Her determination to save the Doctor helped me return. She looked into my core, and together we dispatched the Daleks. But the strain of the fusion was too much for her, and the Doctor was forced to extract my energy from her. It cost him a regeneration.  
__"A regeneration?"  
__"Yes, it's an evolutionary trait that the Time Lords developed because they time traveled. It reduces potential paradoxes. Does this answer all of your questions, Troilus?"  
__"No. Where is Rose Tyler now? If she's such a valued companion, why hasn't the Doctor brought her along?"  
__"Rose Tyler is in an alternate universe with a human clone of the Doctor."  
__"A human clone of the Doctor?"  
__"Yes."  
__"I'm not even going to ask how that happened."  
__"Barring a collapse of t/he universe's boundaries, Rose Tyler is exiled there."  
__"Let me guess, that happens."  
__"Yes, more often than you think. Has the Doctor mentioned about the time travelers who tried to go back and get a sample of Rory Williams' DNA to make clones of him?"  
__"Yeah, in a throwaway line, he also mentioned that Amy Pond now owns the copyright to his DNA."  
__"In that instance, the boundaries of the universe collapsed."  
__"So the universe totally bluescreened?"  
__"Well, I've never heard of the universe being compared to a computer, but yeah. I thought Clara was the one who knew all about computers."  
__"Does Clara really know all about computers?"  
__"Yeah, she was temporarily uploaded to a human mind cloud."  
__"What?!"  
__"Yes. So, are all your questions answered, Troilus?"  
__"For now. Thank you."  
__"Oh, the Doctor is ever so absent minded. He needs to bring his cane from now on."  
__"His cane?"  
__"Yes, it would help him out so much."  
__"Alright, I'll tell him. Nice conversing with you."  
__"Thank you."  
_As the hologram faded, Troilus walked back to the hammock and got in. While he fell asleep to his thoughts, Clara laid in her bed. The day had been strange, and the Doctor had reappeared most suddenly, and with other former companions, and he had come with even more. She lived down the street from two ex-companions and she had never known.  
_"How many companions has the Doctor had?" _Clara thought. _"I suppose he had to have others before I came along, but I never thought he had had so many. Am I really that special to him? Or just another one that can be replaced?"  
_It was midnight, local time. President Ferrier was sitting in her office, working her usual hours to 1 AM. She came into the office a few minutes before 10 AM every morning. She had just received a message that the Ice Warriors had learned that the Doctor was on Earth. They wanted to see him as his earliest convenience. Martha Jones, head of the delegation, had put it this way.  
_**They also know about Vulcan. They also know about what's on Ganymede and Callisto. They are equally concerned. The Ice Warriors want to make the Doctor a deal. A decade ago, another Time Lord landed in the middle of their civilization. They had hoped this Time Lord would help them against alien threats in exchange for them giving him a lab and scientific instruments and supplies, and letting him work on his own T.A.R.D.I.S. While he has done so, the fact remains that the other T.A.R.D.I.S. has no directional unit, meaning it is impossible for this other Time Lord to go to Vulcan, or Callisto or Ganymede and report information about the happenings on those locations back to them reliably. They are concerned that if they send Scouting units that they might provoke the inhabitants of those places into attacking them.  
**__**But why the Doctor?  
**__**The Doctor is a recognized entity throughout the cosmos. If it's no threat, he will leave peacefully. If there is a threat from say the Cybermen or the Daleks, he will either dispatch it himself or return with the indication that we must be prepared for full scale invasions.  
**__**That's very straightforward.  
**__**The Ice Warriors are a very straightforward race, almost to the point of bluntness. They discuss right to the point. That's why unlike most diplomatic talks which can drag on for months at a time, this one only took about week to ten days max.  
**_President Ferrier reflected on this, looked at the clock, decided that enough was enough, and retired for the evening. Two hours later, Vicki suddenly woke up. She had had a very strange dream. She couldn't remember what the dream was about, but as a quick glance at the watch the Doctor had given her told her that the local time was 3 AM. Slowly, Vicki got out of the hammock, and went over to the closet where her clothes had been kept. She changed into them, knowing that Troilus was fast asleep, and she crept out of the T.A.R.D.I.S., and out of Ben and Polly's sitting room, and through the front door. She needed to go on a walk and collect her thoughts.  
_"This is far different than what I was used to with the Doctor, Troilus is here, and so is Steven, and there's a lot of other companions here. It was good to catch up with Ian and Barbara again. But something seems off, maybe it was from Dodo, maybe it's with how the Doctor has changed since I last saw him. "_ Vicki muttered to herself. She continued walking down Baker Street in silence. And Vicki reached the Outer Circle, that surrounded Regent's Park, and Boating Lake. She spent ninety minutes walking along the road, sometimes muttering to herself, sometimes in silence, sometimes reminiscing. It wasn't until she had trekked for fifteen minutes that she realized she was wearing her original cloak again, in fact, she was wearing her original outfit that she had boarded the T.A.R.D.I.S. in. London in 2018 was so different from Ancient Greece with Troilus. Right before Hanover's gate, she turned onto a walking path, and walked past the Boathouse Cafe. It was closed, and she continued. As Vicki gazed at the Boating Lake, she remembered reading something about the ice cover of the Lake collapsing in 1867.  
_"If I remember correctly, two hundred people fell in, and forty people died. They drained the lake to four feet in depth as a result."  
_This caused her to see what she remembered about Regent's park. Ever since she had spent time with Barbara on the T.A.R.D.I.S., she had been a big researcher of about the history of London, and places like the London Zoo always fascinated her. She tried to remember what her research had uncovered about it.  
_"King Henry VIII took control of it from a Monasteries during the mid-1530s. With the exception of the 1650s, when dairy produce used the land, it's been Crown Property ever since then. In 1811, at the request of the future King George IV, architect John Nash was commissioned to design buildings to occupy the land, but plans fell through. Beginning in 1835, the public first gained access to it as a park for two days a week."  
_She turned south and walked past 'the Invisible City'. Then the path abruptly turned northeast. Declining to walk around the circumference of the Boating Lake, she took the next turn right and continued to the end where she ran into the path known as "The Boardwalk." She decided to go south to head back to Baker Street, and as she did so, she passed Chester Road.  
_"Hmmm, in the 1930s, Queen Mary's Gardens were created and the Inner Circle road runs around the circumference of it. Prior to that the Royal Botanic Society owned the lease and used the lands as a plant nursery."_  
Vicki continued on the Boardwalk path, which took her back to the Outer Circle road. She turned right again, and walked around the Outer Circle until she got back to Baker Street. She walked past York Bridge, the other road that took cars to the Inner Circle. She got back on Baker Street, passed the Sherlock Holmes museum, and got back to Ben and Polly's residence. She slipped into the front door, quietly into the T.A.R.D.I.S. and back into her room. Troilus was still sleeping on the hammock. She changed back into her pajamas and got back into the hammock.


	6. UNIT-y

Clara woke up to the sound of knocking on her bedroom door. Opening it, she found the Doctor fiddling with his own hands.  
_"It's 6:45 AM, come on. Get up!"  
__"Doctor, I don't usually get up until about 7:30!"  
__"Really? What time does your school start?"  
__"9"  
__"Oh, that explains it. Listen, I would have gotten you up earlier, but I developed a severe case of what you humans would call OCD and cleaned your kitchen."  
__"Okay, anything else?"  
__"Not off the top of my head."  
__"You sure?"  
__"Well…"  
__"Well, what?"  
__"Well, Ian called me up last night and asked me to look after you. He said that you're a valued member of his staff."  
__"Ah. So what are we doing now, Doctor?"  
__"Well, Steven and Vicki and Troilus are all still asleep."  
__"You let them sleep, but not me?"_ Clara pouted.  
"_Yes, I did. And I have a reason for that."  
__"What's that?"  
__"I have no idea how much sleep they got before I arrived. Unlike you, they do not have 'day-jobs'."  
__"What does that have to do with anything?"  
__"Think about it, Clara. It means that their sleep cycles aren't as easy for me to judge."  
__"Sleep cycles?"  
__"Yes, sleep cycles, all organic life has them."  
__"Right, even you?"  
__"Even me."  
__"So what's your sleep cycle?"  
__"I don't know. I lost track."  
__"Figures."  
__"Doctor?"  
__"Yes?"  
__"Breakfast?"  
__"Oh, I already ate. What are you in the mood for?"  
__"I don't know. I don't really like breakfast."  
__"Why not?"  
__"Well, from age eight to age sixteen I used to spend summers with my Aunt and Uncle in America. And to be honest, comparing to breakfasts in America, British breakfasts are just sorta meh."  
__"You've spent summers in America? Have you ever been to Utah?"  
__"Utah? No, I've been to other places though. Most of the time, I lived with them in Juneau, Alaska, but they took me to other places."  
__"Like where?"  
__"New Orleans, Pensacola, St. Louis."  
__"Why those places?"  
__"Well, they said they were different. My Aunt said that there was more to America; the theme parks in Orlando weren't everything the country had to offer. My Uncle said there would be plenty of opportunities to see New York City, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, or Philadelphia.  
__"Oh, I see. Have you ever been to Cleveland?"  
__"Cleveland, Ohio? No. Why?"  
__"Yeah. Cleveland's cool. I recommend visiting there. Just don't go there with a lot of plans beyond your flight and your hotel rooms. Same goes for Memphis, Indianapolis, Charlotte or Milwaukee."  
__"Okay, I'll keep it those cities in mind."  
_ . Ian woke up out of a deep sleep and took a quick glance at Barbara. He hoped that his conversation with the Doctor had done some good. If something happened to Clara, and he had to explain to the rest of the staff and the Board that Mrs. Oswald was no longer teaching, then Coal Hill School would most certainly have to let go of most of its staff, if not close all together. He furrowed his brow; if Coal Hill School needed to survive, they had to have some other selling point besides the brilliance of Clara. It wasn't his fault his successor had embezzled $100,000 from the school to, according to the rumors, pay off drug debts incurred by his son. But Coal Hill School had settled out of court, and the funds were gone. And the current headmaster, W. Coburn, was on extended leave to help after a death in the family. So Ian returned to the headmaster's chair.

. When the previous headmaster resigned, Ian had been asked to take his place. He had agreed to help Coal Hill School pick up the pieces in the wake of everything, and Clara Oswald had been a godsend, but he needed more to work with than a teacher that the press . He hoped in the near future to get enough funds to create and sustain a robotics team, maybe add a math team. He wanted a Computer Engineering class where the kids would learn to program in C++ and JavaScript and all sorts of programming languages. Schools with good sports teams were a dime a dozen, but schools who were top-notch in competitions of pure intellectual stimulation were few and far between.  
. His reason for agreeing to be headmaster at Coal Hill School was straightforward. The idea that such desperate students would be left without an education when they already had so little because of bureaucratic requirements for operating efficiency were too much for Ian.  
. Meanwhile, aboard the T.A.R.D.I.S., Troilus awoke in his hammock. Vicki was still in his arms. He remembered what he and the T.A.R.D.I.S. had discussed last night. He yawned and walked out of his quarters. Steven had just gotten up.  
_"Good morning, Steven."  
__"Good morning, Troilus."  
__"Sleep well?"  
__"Yeah, I'd forgotten what it was like to sleep aboard the T.A.R.D.I.S. How about you?"  
__"Well, I had trouble falling asleep so I talked things over with the T.A.R.D.I.S. for a bit, and that helped me fall asleep."  
__"Really? What did you two discuss?"  
__"Mostly what Dodo could have meant by 'the Intelligent Toymaker'."  
__"And what conclusions did you two come to?"  
__"Well, the T.A.R.D.I.S. definitely thought the Celestial Toymaker was involved. But there was also another entity in play."  
__"What?! Who?"  
__"The Great Intelligence."  
__"The Great Intelligence? I've never heard of them."  
__"Neither had I. But apparently they've had a major influence on the Doctor's life. And they've used several winter-themed invasions to attack Earth. And they bare a similarity to the 'Nestene Consciousness'."  
__"Ah. Does the Doctor know?"  
__"Not yet. I plan to tell him soon. Oh yeah, the T.A.R.D.I.S. also mentioned that the Doctor should start bringing his cane again."  
__"His cane? What does that mean?"  
__"No idea."  
_While Clara was getting ready for the day, the Doctor got a phone call. It was from Astrid.  
"_Listen, Doctor. Remember how I said the Ice Warriors were requesting you pick up the other Time Lord?"  
__"Yes?"  
__"Well, that's not the only reason they're requesting you. They want you to investigate about Ganymede, Callisto, and Vulcan."  
__"Why?"  
__"The Ice Warriors' information points to a couple of military bases and an organic life settlement. They believe Calisto holds a Silurian settlement. It is of interest of them because according to their history, the Ice Warriors and the Silurians share a common ancestor."  
__"Like the Thals and the Dals or the Ood and the Sensorites"  
__"Like the what and the what, Doctor?"  
__"Never mind. And tell me, what are the Ice Warriors concerns about Vulcan and Ganymede?"  
__"Well, both appear to have military bases. Long-range analysis shows no sign of organic life. They are worried that the Cyberman might be on Ganymede and the Daleks on Vulcan."  
__"What is the orbital path of Vulcan right now?"  
__"Highly elliptical."  
__"It travels like Halley's Comet?"  
__"Well that's the general idea. Except the furthest it ever gets away from the Sun is about the distance of Mars."  
__"How close can it get?"  
__"It can get closer than Mercury. At least that's what astronomers believe at the moment. They haven't had time to fully find its orbit yet."  
__"No. No. I don't expect them too. All right, tell your delegation I've received their message."  
__"Thank you, Doctor."  
_Not five minutes later, Elizabeth Shaw called him.  
_"Doctor, listen. I was just visiting U.N.I.T.'s hospital wing. They want you and your party over here as soon as possible to fill you in, and maybe ask some questions."  
__"Okay, I'll be there in about twenty minutes. Is it super-urgent?"  
__"No."  
__"Okay."  
_The Doctor called the home phone of Ian and Barbara.  
_"Hello, Barbara? Yes, this is the Doctor. Listen, could you do something for me?"  
__"What is it, Doctor?"  
__"Ian told me that Dodo Chaplet spent some time at Coal Hill School as a student. Could you meet me at the U.N.I.T. hospital with her academic records? I want to look through them. There may be a clue or some indication."  
__"All right, Doctor, but what would her academic records have anything to do with her current medical state?"  
__"I don't know, but I'm looking at every possible source of information."  
__"Fair enough."  
_The Doctor hung up. Meanwhile, Liz Shaw sat in Dodo's hospital room discussing with the doctors about what they had discovered about Dodo.  
_"Dr. Shaw, except for unusual brain waves, everything seems normal for Dodo."  
__"Unusual brain waves?"  
__"Yes. Her brain waves indicate intelligence far beyond what her known IQ is."  
__"Interesting, but that doesn't make any sense."  
__"No, ma'am. It doesn't. She's physically healthy."  
__"Any unusual substances in her body?"  
__"No. She has a perfectly normal body composition. Lacking some iron and slightly higher than usual amount of water in her system but that could be from her diet."  
__"Okay, well this is a puzzle. Maybe the Doctor will have an answer."  
_Just then, Barbara and Kate walked in.  
_"Who are you?"  
__"I'm Barbara Wright. The Doctor asked me to be here with Dodo's academic records."  
__"Okay. Why did the Doctor ask for Dodo's academic records?"  
__"He's looking for anything that might explain Dodo's condition. And I mean, anything."  
__"What do you know about Dodo?"  
__"Well, I taught her at Coal Hill School."  
__"And, how was she?"  
__"She was very bright, a little anti-social, constantly in the B+ to A- range in her courses. Nothing too unusual."  
__"Hmmm."  
__"Is there any update to Dodo?" _Kate asked.  
_"No. Her brain waves are a bit off, she has a low concentration of iron, and she's super hydrated, but otherwise, nothing."  
_The Doctor walked into the T.A.R.D.I.S. and began fiddling with the controls. He wanted to leave when Clara was ready. Looking up, he noticed that Troilus was going to tell him something.  
"_Yes, Troilus, what is it?"  
__"Doctor, last night, I couldn't sleep, so I decided to walk about the T.A.R.D.I.S. I ended up in the console room."  
__"And?"  
__"I have a chat with the T.A.R.D.I.S."  
__"Oh, did you? Hehe. What did she say?"  
__"She? The T.A.R.D.I.S. is female?"  
__"Most ships are."  
__"Well, Doctor, the T.A.R.D.I.S. analyzed the phrase 'the intelligent Toymaker' and came to the conclusion that the Great Intelligence might be involved. Now I have no idea who or what the Great Intelligence is, but it doesn't sound good."  
__"Okay. Anything else."  
__"Yeah, the T.A.R.D.I.S. also said that you should start bringing around your cane again."  
__"My cane? Really? Are you sure?"  
__"Yes. I have no idea why, but she wants you to."  
__"Doctor, Troilus mentioned that the T.A.R.D.I.S. talked about the fact that the Great Intelligence had winter-themed invasions of Earth."_ Steven said. _"What does that mean?"  
__"Well it means it thought it could invade the Earth using snowmen and robotic Yeti in the …"  
__"In the- what? Doctor?"_ Troilus questioned.  
_"London Underground. The Great Intelligence is definitely involved." _the Doctor replied.  
_"How can you be sure?"_ Steven asked.  
_"Because Dodo mentioned that she remembered being in the London Underground."  
_Clara walked into the T.A.R.D.I.S., and it whooshed into Dodo's hospital room.  
_"Hello, Barbara, Kate, Liz."_ the Doctor said.  
_"Hello, Doctor."_ the three said in unison.  
The Doctor's four companions walked out of the T.A.R.D.I.S. Barbara immediately handed the Doctor Dodo's academic records.  
_"Hmm. Yes, is this all there is?"  
__"I'm afraid so, Doctor."  
__"Why?"  
__"I'm not sure. It's almost as though her file has been stripped clean. Usually there's more background on students, but here it only contains records of her grades and teacher comments."  
_The Doctor glanced down at Dodo's report card from her Senior Year.  
. History: Dodo excelled at history, even though she never wanted to read the assigned excerpts. She knew far more than the average British teenager about the American West and Doc Holliday. B+  
. Physics: Ms. Chaplet grasps concepts of physics quite effortlessly… when she pays attention, and isn't muttering about something related to robots. A  
. Calculus: Dodo struggled with calculus throughout the year. Despite my requests, she did not come in and ask for my help frequently enough. She consistently displayed a fundamental understanding of the concepts but in terms of her execution, she was severely lacking. B  
. English: Dodo Chaplet is neither a fan of the novel nor of the play. ( If you value your sanity, do not bring up "Romeo and Juliet", she hates that Shakespearian play with a passion, and can rant about her dislike of it for hours.) She prefers nonfiction over the novel. Though she can pick about the aspects of the novel quite effortlessly, fiction does not interest her in the slightest. A-  
. And the comments continued in the same vein. No matter how hard she tried, Dodo could not exert enough effort in her courses. It always had to come easy to her. There were gaps and glitches in her academic performance. The Doctor chuckled at the comment about how much Dodo knew about the American West.  
_"Right then. Here you go Barbara."_ the Doctor said, handing the papers back.  
At that point, Astrid walked in.  
_"Hello, Doctor. I see you're here. Have you been informed about the Ice Warriors' request?"  
__"Yes, I have. Dodo seems to be just fine. So I'll get on my way to it."  
__"Excellent, are you taking any companions?"  
__"Just Steven. In the meantime, could you keep Clara, Vicki, and Troilus informed? If this starts playing out like it usually does, then I'm in trouble."  
__"And how's that?"  
__"Oh, the one person who has vital information about the situation is unable to contact me. I'm trying to avoid that situation."  
__"I understand."  
__"Is Dodo fit to be dismissed from the hospital?"  
__"Yes"_ the doctor said.  
. At that moment, Dodo opened her eyes, and began to get out of her bed. She requested that everybody either leave the room while she changed back into her clothes, or get into the TARDIS. Everybody filed out of the room for a few minutes, while Dodo changed. The Doctor knew he wanted Steven with him when he left for Mars. But he also knew that Steven alone would not be sufficient. He needed other help; he needed to know who was on the delegation on Mars. Perhaps, they could be of assistance.  
. Before he left, he wanted to plan. Unlike his previous incarnations, which had a habit of bumbling his way into situations and sticking around to help, he knew he could be walking into danger and therefore this time, he wanted a plan beyond waving his sonic screwdriver around, hoping something good happened, and taking the credit. Kate came over to ask what the Doctor was planning.  
_"Kate , does U.N.I.T. still have my old lab?"  
__"Yes, we do, Doctor. Since you left, U.N.I.T. has moved to other locations. The old building is now being used for administrative purposes, but your lab has been kept intact. Oh, U.N.I.T. goes in and dusts the dust off of the beakers and test tubes now and then."  
__"Thank you. It'll be nice to spend some time in my old lab again. It's been so long since I've been there."  
__"Doctor, what are you going to do?"  
__"Well, I would like Mrs. Shaw and Clara to accompany me to my lab. I'm going to have Dodo dropped off and taken care by Ben and Polly. Meanwhile, I'll have Steven, Troilus, and Vicki help around. They should do useful tasks like comb through U.N.I.T.'s files and be messengers, and just help around."  
__"Why Mrs. Shaw and Clara?"  
__"Well, I've worked excellently with Liz before, and as for Clara, she's got a full working knowledge of computers."  
__"Doctor, I must say, this is very unlike you. You're operating more like a general in a war."  
__"Kate Stewart -I have seen generals and I have seen war and believe me, both sayings are very true."  
__"Doctor, which sayings are you talking about?"_ Kate asked.  
_"There are two, Kate. 'War is hell' and 'Demons run when a good man goes to war.'"  
__"Doctor, what are you talking about?"_ Liz queried.  
_"The Time War - the war between the Time Lords and the Daleks, I ended it with a single moment. I removed the Time Lords from the universe. I destroyed almost all of the Daleks. How fitting those words were."  
__"What words, Doctor?"  
__"My last words as the Fourth Doctor on Logopolis, after a percentage of the universe had been destroyed. **It's the end. But the moment has been prepared for.** They may predate my involvement in the Time War, but they summarize it just as well."  
__"Doctor, I'm so sorry. What an awful choice you had to make." _Kate said.  
_"Well, someone had to. Or else the universe would have been torn apart. Hmmm, I wonder who that other Time Lord is."  
__"The other Time Lord?" _Dr. Shaw asked.  
_"Yeah, the one on Mars that U.N.I.T. discovered the Ice Warriors had. The Time Lord is probably not the Master, it's out of character that he would agree to work for the Ice Warriors, it's not in his nature. Nevertheless, there is one other candidate."  
__"Is it the Monk?"_ Kate supposed.  
"_Who's the Monk?"_ Liz asked.  
_"The Monk is another Time Lord. I ran into him twice. The first time was in 1066 with Steven and Vicki. The Monk had plans to stop the Viking Invasion so that the English natives could repel William the Conqueror at the Battle of Hastings. He already changed history in several places."  
__"Really?"  
__"Who do you think gave Leonardo Da Vinci the ideas for flying machines?"  
__"That was him!"  
__"But what's so bad about what the Monk was doing?"  
_The Doctor lowered his voice. "_I once told Barbara these exact words. _**You can't change history. Not one line. Believe me, I know. I know**."  
"_So he was going to try and change the course of history?"  
__"Yes."  
__"And how did you foil the Monk?"_ Kate asked.  
_"Well, Steven and Vicki helped me a lot. I wouldn't have made it without them. But I managed to take the dimensional control unit out of his T.A.R.D.I.S. the first time. He repaired his T.A.R.D.I.S. and actually crossed paths with us again. I got him good the second time."  
__"How?"_ Liz questioned.  
_"The second time I got his directional unit, so he had no control over where and when he went. As a matter of fact, I'm still using his directional unit in my own T.A.R.D.I.S."  
__"His directional unit worked with your T.A.R.D.I.S.?"  
__"Of course, you don't think the Time Lords wouldn't design T.A.R.D. that weren't backwards compatible, would you?"  
_"_Right then, everybody, it's time." _The Doctor walked over and informed Steven and Troilus about his plan, followed by Vicki and Clara. Barbara had gotten on board.  
_"Barbara, do you need a ride?"  
__"Yes, I do. You see, Ian dropped me off using his car this morning."  
__"Alright. What time do you want to me land you?"  
__"How about… what's the time?"  
__"10:30 AM."  
__"How about you drop me off at about 10:45? Sometime before lunch today."  
__"Fair enough."  
__"All right, everybody into the T.A.R.D.I.S., I'll jump an hour or two into the future." _The Doctor called up Ben and Polly. "_Hello, Ben and Polly, I'm bringing Dodo to you in an hour to two hours right now."__  
_ _"Doctor, what does that mean?"  
__"Sorry, time travel tense trouble. It means I'm travelling into the future by an hour to two hours right now."  
._ Once again, Ian sat in his office, gazing out of the window. He couldn't focus on paperwork. In an effort to cut costs from substitute teachers at Coal Hill School, he and Barbara tended to tag team classes whenever a teacher was absent. He wished the Doctor hadn't considered him old for a human due to his raw age. He and Barbara didn't look anywhere near their age, and neither certainly felt like they were as old as they had lived. Ian mused that maybe as a side effect from their time-travelling adventures with the Doctor, he and Barbara were now operating on lifespans akin to Hobbits.  
"Ah, Tolkien. Even you and your high fantasy adventures can't compare to the Doctor." Ian thought. "I don't know how many times I read "The Hobbit" and "The Lord Of The Rings" after the two of us got back. Far more than a normal person would."  
_"Hmmm, maybe, if Clara is gone for an extended period of time, I could get ask Wilfred Mott again to fill in, tell his stories about growing up on the eve of World War II. He must be approaching ninety by now."_  
. Ian had met Wilfred about five or six years ago by accident. The two were friendly acquaintances. He was going through a bookstore, pursuing the biographies and had happened to bump into him. After a brief apologies, the two parted, neither learning each other's name. A week later, Ian was buying a newspaper from Wilfred's newspaper stand when he recognized him.  
_"I recognize you. We bumped into each other in the bookstore last Saturday."_  
_"Yeah! We did. Sorry about that. Did you ever purchase that biography on Queen Elizabeth I?"_  
_"Yes, I did."_  
_"How did you find it?"_  
_"Quite enjoyable. I'm almost finished."_  
_"Ah. I see. My name is Wilfred Mott."_  
_"Ian Chesterton."_  
_"Hmm. What's your age?"_  
Ian told Wilfred his age.  
_"You don't look it!"_  
_"Well, I guess that's what time travelling does."_  
_"Time travelling?"_  
_"Yeah."_  
_"With the Doctor?"_  
_"You know the Doctor?"_  
_"Of course, I do. My granddaughter traveled extensively with him."_  
_"What's your granddaughter's name?"_  
_"Donna."_  
_"Donna. That's a nice name."_  
_"Yes, it's a shame she doesn't remember anything about her travels with him."_  
_"She doesn't? Why not?"_  
_"The Doctor had to erase her memory. It was so sad. She had changed so much for the better because of her travels with him."_  
_"I suppose he had a good reason. Where's your granddaughter now?"_  
_"She's off with her husband 'cross the Atlantic in Montreal. She had a job opportunity, and they both agreed to take it."_  
_"Oh, she's married. How was the wedding?"_  
_"It was fine. The Doctor showed up. He looked so sad."_  
_"But I thought you said Donna couldn't remember anything about the Doctor."_  
_"Yes. He didn't mingle with the guests, he just showed up for a few minutes while the event was outside."  
"Ah."  
"So, what's your connection to the Doctor?"  
"Well, my wife, Barbara, and I both traveled with him and his granddaughter. We were Susan's history and science teachers respectively. In a bizarre sequence of events, we ended up on the T.A.R.D.I.S. and the adventures began. Daleks and Thals, Aztecs, Sensorities."  
"He had a granddaughter?"  
"Yes."  
"Oh, that explains his empathy towards me when he said he had to wipe the Donna's memories. Do you still teach?"  
"No, well, I'm on the board of Governors now."  
"Which school?"  
"Coal Hill."  
"Oh."  
"Well, Wilfred, here's the money for the newspaper. Good day to you."  
"Good day to you too."  
_Ian thought back to that conversation with Wilfred. Soon after, the two had struck up a friendship. They had gotten to known each other's backgrounds better, and their mutual acquaintance of the Doctor had been a catalyst. They swapped stories.


	7. Explanations,Biographies, & Megadrives?

_"All right, everybody into the T.A.R.D.I.S., I'll jump an hour or two into the future. Hello, Ben and Polly, I'm bringing Dodo to you in an hour or two right now."  
__"Doctor, what does that mean?"  
__"Sorry, time travel tense trouble. It means I'm travelling into the future by an hour or two right now."  
__"Ah."  
_Everybody got into the T.A.R.D.I.S. Liz Shaw's reaction was of a sheer amazement.  
_"Doctor, when you said, it was bigger on the inside. I didn't really believe you."  
__"Well, what do you think, Liz?"  
_"_I think it's incredible. There are so many buttons and levers. How do you know which buttons to push?"  
__"Experience"  
_"_Doctor, what's this switch?"  
_"_Liz, that switch there is the fast return switch. Hold the switch down, and the T.A.R.D.I.S. will be sent hurdling into the beginnings of the universe. All time-keeping technology will disintegrate, and all machines will stop working."  
_"_How do you know this, Doctor?" _Troilus asked.  
"_Because one time, the spring to the switch got stuck, so I experienced it firsthand. Barbara here figured it out."  
_"_Just in time too." _ Barbara replied.  
"_Liz, you can ask me all the questions you want about the T.A.R.D.I.S. after I drop everybody off at their proper places. But here's the abridged version. That is the dematerializing control and that, over yonder, is the horizontal hold. Up there is the scanner, those are the doors (which Salamander forgot about), that is a comfy chair. Sheer poetry, dear Liz. Now, please stop me bothering me for now. You can ask me all the questions you want after I drop everybody else off at their proper places."  
_"_Doctor, that's exactly what you told me when you explained the T.A.R.D.I.S.!" _Steven smirked.  
"_What?! No, it isn't."  
_"_Really, because you used the exact same lines. Is it a prepared speech or something?"  
_" _I did not tell you the same thing. I didn't describe the chair as comfy. It was a different chair when I first explained it to you. It had a panda on it."  
_"_Oh. I see. That makes all the different in the universe."_ Steven sarcastically replied. _"Though I must say, Doctor, you've been doing it up the interior a bit."_  
_"What, are you going to say you don't like it?"_  
_"No, on the contrary, I prefer this. I actually get 'space-time' machine out of this."_  
_"Oh, well. That's a change of pace."_  
_"How so, Doctor?"_ Vicki asked.  
_"Usually, when people see a new T.A.R.D.I.S. interior, they don't like it. Don't like it all."_ the Doctor replied.  
_"Who says that?"_ Barbara asked.  
_"Myself."_  
_"What?!"  
"Barbara, I'm a time traveler. You don't think I've met myself before?"_ the Doctor squabbled.  
_"Do the earlier versions of you ever remember it?"_ Vicki asked.  
_"It has only happened once. It helped the Fifth Doctor and the Tenth Doctor stop a black hole the size of Belgium from appearing inside the T.A.R.D.I.S. I remembered it as the Fifth Doctor which allowed me to solve the problem as the Tenth Doctor. Stable time loop at its simplest._"  
_"Did anything happen?"_ Troilus asked.  
_"Well, the Tenth Doctor did proceed to crash the T.A.R.D.I.S. into the Titanic. That's how I knew as the Ninth Doctor to keep my friends away from it."_  
_"So you're definitely later than the Fifth Doctor, and probably later than the Tenth Doctor."_ Clara commented.  
_"Not necessarily, Clara. I could still be a Doctor prior to the Fifth. My future self could have told me about that encounter."_ the Doctor said.  
_"What? How does that make any sense?"_ Steven asked.  
_"For the record, Steven, whenever multiple versions of myself meet, I always determine the first Doctor to remember the meeting as the 'present' Doctor. Any Doctor who comes before is a 'past Doctor', and any Doctor that comes after is 'a future Doctor'."_ the Doctor explained.  
_"So have you ever met your future self?"_ Liz asked.  
_"Once. Maybe more."_  
_"How can you not know?_" Liz queried.  
_"Well, for one thing, I probably wouldn't remember the meetings. And number two, who's to say, a future version of me hasn't walked by me, and I not know it?"_ the Doctor responded.  
_"Oh, I see your point."_ Liz said.  
_"When did you meet your future self?"_ Vicki asked.  
_"I met my future self once, Vicki. I saw a man who didn't go by the Doctor anymore, didn't deserve to go by the name."_  
_"Why?"_ Kate asked.  
_"Because of what happened on Gallifrey. The trials of life you could say."_ the Doctor replied. His grim silence discouraged any more questions.  
The Doctor flipped a switch and they were off.  
_"Why didn't I ever go in when we were working together before?"_ Liz said, returning to fawning over the T.A.R.D.I.S., and going over to the console.  
_"Possibly because your own skepticism prevented you from actually entering. I'm sorry, it's a human trait."  
__"What's a human trait?" _Clara commented.  
_"Humans have the remarkable ability to doubt what they cannot believe to be true, even when proof to the contrary is being shoved in their face. It's matched only by humanity's skill at abandoning common skill at convenient intervals."  
__"Thanks, Doctor."_ Steven said, as the T.A.R.D.I.S vworped out of the hospital room. _"That isn't the most cliche, back-handed compliment ever given to the human race."_  
The Doctor deposited Barbara off and set his next stop for Ben and Polly where Dodo would stay for the time being. As Dodo was walking of the T.A.R.D.I.S., Vicki volunteered to help Ben and Polly.  
"_You sure, Vicki?"  
__"Positive. I mean, I'm about the same age as Dodo, so I can think like her."  
__"Fair enough."  
__"Hey, Dodo. Ready for something?"_ Vicki shouted to Dodo as she jogged off the T.A.R.D.I.S. after her with all of her possessions she had brought along.  
_"Ready for what?"  
__"I don't know yet. I just know something."  
__"Does that even make sense?"  
__"Yes, of course, it makes sense."  
__"How?"  
__"How doesn't it make sense to you!?"  
_The two girls continued squabbling good-naturedly while the T.A.R.D.I.S. dematerialized, and the Doctor ended up in his old lab back during his U.N.I.T. days.  
_"Ah, my old lab. I'd forgotten how much I appreciated this"_ the Doctor said, looking around.  
_"Doctor, does the lab have everything you require?"_ Kate asked.  
_"Yes, so far, I believe it does, I'll let you know if I need anything. Steven, Troilus, help Kate with anything she needs. Come on, Liz, Clara, we've got work to do."  
_"_Doctor, what do we need to do?"  
__"Well, first thing, Clara, I need you to go into the T.A.R.D.I.S. and retrieve some travel dials. Use the voice-activation system to find their location within the T.A.R.D.I.S., key words: 'Marinus', 'travel' and 'dial', you'll be directed to where they are."  
__"Travel dials, Doctor? What are they?  
__"They operate much in the same way as the T.A.R.D.I.S. does. You pre-set them to a specific location, and they automatically take you there. It allows you to travel through space, but not through time. __Liz, they're quite common, but I happened to get these from Marinus. They'll be the basis of what I'm developing."  
__"Marinus? What happened on Marinus?" _Liz asked.  
. The Doctor continued to walk around his old laboratory. Oh, the memories. But he couldn't spend all of his time reminiscing, he had to get on with work. His plan was to rewire the travel dials so that in a pinch, any companion could use them and automatically return to the T.A.R.D.I.S. He would base it off of the fast-return switch. He also planned on wiring communication devices. As he looked at his instruments, he told Liz about the adventure on Marinus.  
_. "Oh, Ian, Barbara, Susan and I scoured the entire planet looking for microcircuits to keep running a supercomputer. Marinus had this system which eliminated evil thoughts from its inhabitants, but there was this race called the Voord who developed immunity to the computer. We retrieved all the keys, but unfortunately, in order to stop the Voord from gaining control over the entire planet, we had to destroy it."  
__"Why do you say 'unfortunately'?"  
__"It's a mixed bag. As a result of the computer, Marinus was a peaceful world for almost a millennium. It made its inhabitants unafraid of war, crime, and all the rest. It was unique in the universe for that. But the problems were that when the problems came, the inhabitants were ill-adapted towards it, and as I said at the time '_**I**** don't believe that man was made to be controlled by machines.****Machines can make laws, but they cannot preserve justice. Only human beings can do that.**_'" _While the Doctor explained about the time on Marinus, Vicki and Dodo were standing in Ben and Polly's sitting room, wondering what they were going to do. Polly came downstairs.  
_"Ah, I see you're here. I'm afraid there's not much to do here."  
__"That's okay. What time is it?_" Vicki asked.  
_"It's about 10:45 AM, local time._" Polly replied.  
_"So, where's the nearest bookstore?_" Vicki asked.  
_"Bookstore? Bookstore? Really, Vicki?_" Dodo replied.  
_"Well, I'm curious to see how scholars interpreted Ancient Greece."  
__"I see, you want to open a book and silently mock all the historians at how wrong they got their facts._" Polly teased.  
_"Precisely"  
_Dodo was prepared to spend the morning watching television. She had no idea what she wanted to watch, she would watch whatever seemed interesting or Ben suggested. But then she spotted something sitting below the television.  
_"What's this?"  
__"A SEGA Megadrive and some old game cartridges, Ben picked them up at a yard sale for our son thirty years ago. It doesn't work anymore, but the games are available elsewhere. Our grandchildren love the games."  
__"__Could you play Mario on them?"  
__"Mario, Vicki?"__ Ben had just walked in the door__. "A Nintendo game on a SEGA console? Impossible. That never happened."  
__"But didn't Mario and Sonic the Hedgehog have a few games together?"  
__"Unless you're talking about the Olympic games released a decade later, then no. Mario and Sonic were the biggest gaming rivals in the 1990s. As a matter of fact, until the SEGA Dreamcast fell so far behind the competition in 2001-"  
__"Ben, not this again. I know you're a fan of video games, I will never understand why, but I'm pretty sure that they don't want to hear all about it."  
__"I like video games because they're a source of intellectual stimulation and they allow me to bond with our grandchildren whenever they come over. Even if they do complain that the X-Box One and the PS4 are outdated."  
__"So, Ben, do you have anything a bit more modern?"  
__"Yeah, the SEGA Megadrive and its attachments is my classic console. Though it hasn't worked for years."  
__"What kind of gaming console has attachments?"  
__"Oh, I give up. Ben, you can educate the girls all you like about video games."_ Polly said, throwing her hands up in frustration._  
__"The SEGA Megadrive had a couple of attachments, the SEGA CD and the 32X , meant to allow more powerful games."  
__"Did they work as a marketing strategy?" __Vicki asked.  
__"Well, no. Neither add-on sold well, and many people consider the only quality games to ever be made for the CD and 32X are Sonic CD and Knuckles Chaotix."  
__"And both are Sonic the Hedgehog games?"  
__"Well, yes. Knuckles Chaotix is a spinoff game for Knuckles, but same franchise."  
__"Ben, quick question, how do you know all this?"  
__"Well, my grandson has a tendency to go on these spiels about both his favorite video games and video game commentary channels."  
__"Video Game Commentaries?"  
__"Yes, on the Internet, people record themselves playing a particular video game, and then they talk about the game. It can quite entertaining."  
__"What are your grandson's favorite channels?"  
__"Oh, one involves a pair of brothers and the older brother's friend. Another is the name of an episode from this show that I've never watched called Cowboy Bebop. Within 18 months or so, they'll be celebrating their ten-year anniversary. Apparently they're a self-proclaimed rip-off of a video game commentary featuring British guys."  
__"Okay, why does your grandson like them?__"  
"Because all of them have a tendency to go off onto topics that have nothing to do with the games they're reviewing."  
__"How so?" _Dodo asked._  
__"Well, you know how the Doctor has a tendency to wander off topic in the conversation?"  
__"Yeah."  
__"Compared to these guys, the Doctor is succinct and always focused."  
__"Oh, dear."  
__"Ben, you said your SEGA Mega drive doesn't work? Could I take a look at it? I might be able to help. In the meantime, Vicki, why don't you go to the bookstore?"__ Dodo said.  
__"Polly! The girls have a plan for what they're going to do for the day__." _Ben called up to his wife._  
__"Yeah- what is it?"  
__"I'll stay here with Dodo because she wants to fiddle around with the old Mega Drive for a bit. She thinks she can get it working. And you and Vicki can go to a bookstore, and she can pick out some good books." _Turning to Vicki, Ben continued._"Personally, I'd recommend H.G. Wells. He has some great fictional pieces, and if you're really hungry for an over view of history, Wells wrote the first editions of 'An Outline Of History' about a century ago."  
__"Polly, at about some point, why don't you call us up and we can agree on where to take the girls for lunch. Does that sound good?"  
__"Yeah."  
_Polly came downstairs.  
_"Come on, Vicki, there's a great bookshop called 'Daunt Books' over on Maryleborne High Street."  
_As Polly and Vicki left to walk down Baker Street, Dodo began inspecting the Megadrive. She took a Sonic & Knuckles Cartridge and inserted it into the slot. Upon turning on the television with the Megadrive connected, she flipped the On-Off switch just about the reset button, and discovered it wouldn't turn on.  
_"Okay, the adapter cord is in. There's no tearing anywhere. Ben, do you have a screwdriver, I'll have to disassemble it first. It looks like I need a Phillips #1."  
__"I should have one in the pantry."  
__"Where is it?"  
__"It's the only door in the kitchen. Once inside, look down and to the right."  
__"Thank you."  
_Dodo went to get a screwdriver and begin disassembling the Megadrive. Noting that the Outer Case looked completely fine except for the normal wear and tear, she examined the motherboard closely by separating it from the outer case. There was a single black screw on the bottom cover that needed to be removed using the same Phillips Screwdriver. She saw the silver casing, and removed the eleven screws. Pushing the headphone jack to the side, she took out the single golden screw, and then the two black screw on the left and right sides of the cartridge slot, and removed the motherboard.  
_"Yep, this is a European Megadrive, and judging by the motherboard revision of VA6, it has TMSS."_  
_"So?"_  
_"Most SEGA games for this system aren't PAL-encoded. Therefore, everything runs a bit slower on the European Megadrive than an American Genesis. TMSS also means it boots up a specific screen instead of going straight to the game."_  
_"Ah. I see. Anything else?"_  
_"Well, it uses the same mono and Stereo amps as an HD Genesis 1 Model. So the sound should be just as good, though the pitch should be a bit lower because the Megadrive's slower master clock."_  
_"The motherboard doesn't seem to be problem"_ Dodo said, as she finished looking at the motherboard, but she found the source of the issue. Inside the Megadrive, the power cord serial port was loose. She tightened it, and after reassembling the Genesis, the console unit now turned on.  
_"Hmmm, the console unit is on. The cartridge is fully inserted, and securely at that." _Dodo looked at it.  
_"Dodo, it always does that. We have no idea how to fix it. We've taken it to various technological fix-it stores, but none of them know or care about the Megadrive anymore."  
__"Perhaps it's a problem with the game port itself. I'll clean it."  
__"What do you need?"  
__"A credit card and some sandpaper. I'm going to insert into the cartridge slot."  
__"What? How does that work?"  
__"I don't know. I know it works."  
__"How do you know it works? Is it from experience?"  
__"No. I just know."_ Dodo stopped suddenly. She was just now realizing an important detail. She had never even seen a Megadrive in her entire life, and yet she still knew how to troubleshoot it and repair it. She had the intelligence to take a glance at a broken Megadrive and could immediately identify the difference between a Megadrive and a SEGA Genesis because of technical specifications.  
_"What? How can I do this? I was never mechanically inclined from what I remember about myself."_ Dodo contemplated.  
_"What's wrong, Dodo?"_ Ben asked, concerned.  
_"Huh. Nothing. I'm going to get back to fixing the Megadrive_." Dodo replied.

_"Speaking of which, I'm curious how the T.A.R.D.I.S. actually works, Doctor."_ Liz asked, as the Doctor paced around the laboratory.  
_"Imagine there is someone holding a rock some distance away from you. Focus on the rock. It takes time for light to travel from the rock to you, so effectively you are seeing the rock in the past. Now, granted, it's not that far in the past, but still it's in the past."  
__"Alright, I understand so far."  
__"Now, imagine someone was throwing the rock towards you. How far you saw the rock in the past would change as the rock approached you because it takes the light a shorter amount of time to travel the distance between you and the rock."  
__"Where are you going with this, Doctor?"_ Kate asked.  
_"Anyway, the light has a shorter distance to travel, so it takes less time. You see it less in the past. Now imagine you could warp space so that the rock reached you at the same time as the light. That's the science behind how the T.A.R.D.I.S. travels throughout space-time. What you're doing when you travel space-time is essentially altering what the light shows in the past. It's why fixed points exist."  
__"But what I want to know is all the machines work."_ Dr. Shaw asked.  
_"Well, I'm afraid I can't do that Liz. Even I don't quite know everything about every machine. You see, most of the time it takes a crew of six to run a T.A.R.D.I.S. Not to mention, I can't reveal the mechanics behind a machine that could travel space and time."  
__"Oh, I understand, Doctor."  
__"Well, you certainly caught on faster than Winston Churchill."  
__"Winston Churchill?"  
__"Yes, ol' Winston Churchill. Excellent friend of mine, ranks right up there with Marco Polo. Liz, all you need to know is, I have ways of getting back, including a fast return switch.  
__"Has it ever broken, Doctor?"_ Clara asked.  
_"Once."  
__"Doctor, what happened with you and Winston Churchill?"  
__"Oh, let's see, the Daleks used my identification as the Doctor to restore their race and create Supreme Daleks. There was a negated timeline where this humorous exchange took place,  
__'__**Good Lord, man, haven't you heard of downloads?'  
**__**'said Winston Churchill'  
**__and there were a couple of other things that I can't remember at the moment, but I'm sure they'll come back to me."  
__"Winston Churchill knew about downloads?"  
__"In a negated timeline!"  
__"A negated timeline? What negated timeline could possibly cause Winston Churchill to know about downloads?"_ Clara asked.  
_"Ummm, I'd rather not say"_ the Doctor replied. "  
Vicki and Polly were looking for reading material. Polly was interested in the tabloids. Vicki couldn't care less. She browsed for an hour, when suddenly she found a book worth reading. It had a man with a monocle and a mustache gazing straight out of the cover. The title was "Theodore Rex", the author: Edmund Morris. Opening the front cover, she discovered it was the middle book of a trilogy. However, much to her disappointment, the store was lacking the other two.  
_"Polly, look at what an interesting biography I've found!"  
__"Theodore Rex?"  
__"Yeah. I've never read a biography on an American President before. I'm curious about him."  
__"Vicki, is that really the book you want?"  
__"Yes."  
__"What? Why?"  
__"Well, his time as the president of America takes place in between the Victorian era and the Great War, and that's a historical time period I haven't read much about."  
_. Polly acquiesced, she had been hoping Vicki would have picked a good book that would have been bit more 'normal' for a teenage girl to enjoy. Oh well, at least it wasn't 'Twilight'. She didn't understand how her granddaughters could enjoy that series at all with its stilted dialogue and creepy romances, and those movies were terrible.  
. At the requests of her granddaughters, she had watched one of them on Blu-Ray back home, and experience suggested when the only entertainment you could squeeze out of a movie is counting the absurdly high number of stares it was a bad movie. Polly spent eleven pounds plus tax for the book, and the two headed back to the Baker Street. They came home to Dodo finally getting the Megadrive working and booting up Sonic 3 & Knuckles.  
_"Vicki, what book did you buy?"_ Dodo said, as she used Sonic's fire shield ability to flame-dash into Angel Island's boss.  
_"'Theodore Rex' by Edmund Morris"_ Vicki replied.  
_"Hmmm, that sounds interesting. What's it about?"  
__"The presidency of Theodore Roosevelt."  
__"And what happens?"  
__"If I knew what happened, I wouldn't be reading it, now would I?"_ Vicki snarked.  
"_Fair point. Hey Ben, do you know to pronounce this zone's name? Is it Hydro-city or Hy-drocity ?"  
__"It's 'Hydro-city', but personally I like 'Hy-drocity' better. You know, going for the 'velocity' pun. It sounds better."_ Ben answered.  
_"Ah."  
__"Vicki, I thought you were going to get something by H.G. Wells." _Ben asked_.  
__"I was. I couldn't find it, but this caught my eye instead." _Vicki replied._  
_. Polly and Vicki sat down with Ben on the couch in front of their television. Horizontal gears in all their pixilated glory sped a blue hedgehog up some blue helical half-pipes while an orange, two-tailed fox floated over to him. A bubble surrounded the blue hedgehog preventing him from drowning, but the fox would be frequently subjected to a countdown that signaled oncoming drowning. Dodo soon beat the stage's boss, and the second act. Now, ruins dominated the screen. Dodo struggled with controlling the blue tops that broke walls.  
_"Hey Vicki, you can plug in a second controller and play as Tails."  
__"I can?"  
__"Yeah, you can."  
_. Vicki left the bag containing her new biography, picked up the SEGA controller and plugged it in. To her frustration, the camera only followed Sonic, and so she frequently had no idea where Tails was. Even more nerve-whacking was the fact that she couldn't control Tails until the AI touched him down.  
. Finally, they reached the end of Marble Garden where Sonic and Tails had to use teamwork to beat the boss. It took them awhile, but they manage to maneuver Sonic to jump from Tails' grasp (who had been granted infinite flight exclusively for the boss fight) and popped the cockpit on the top for the final hit.  
_"Alright, we did it!"_ the two girls exclaimed, as they high-fived one another. Ben and Polly quietly looked on and smiled.  
_"Well, Dodo, that's enough for me. I'm going to read 'Theodore Rex' now." _Vicki said as she went upstairs and sat on the bed in the one of the guest rooms_.  
__"Sure thing."_ Dodo shrugged as she continued to 'Carnival Night'.  
_"Oh, watch out for the 'Barrel of Doom'."_ Ben warned Dodo.  
_"What?"  
__"The fan nickname for a particular gimmick used in this level. People actually called SEGA asking for help to get pass it."  
__"Really? Do you know how to get pass it?"  
__"Yeah, go up and down."  
__"Seriously. That's it?"  
__"Yeah, that's it."  
__"Wow."  
_. The Doctor was about to get started on the sub-wave network communicators when his mind wandered back to Troilus's question about Katarina, and then he realized he also had to design breathing apparatuses. Troilus had triggered a heel realization when he and Vicki had asked about Katarina. He thought about her death. Her very last words were _**"You show me so many strange mysteries. With you I know I'm safe." **_The T.A.R.D.I.S. had been stuck on the planet Kembel far away from the spaceship where Katarina died; they had been out of the boundaries of the synthetic atmosphere that the T.A.R.D.I.S. created.  
. And then he pondered something, why would the Daleks ever create an atmosphere that allowed humans to breathe? That went double for Cyberman. If you want to destroy your enemies, asphyxiating them is pretty fool-proof. He made a mental note to never bring this up for the Daleks and Cyberman to use, but he also now realized that he had make the breathing apparatuses inconspicuous.  
. Dr. Shaw knew that look in the Doctor's eye. She had seen it many times when the two were coworkers. It was his 'chess master' look, the look someone has when they're thinking up a primordial strategy with lots of unknown variables, and assessing likely sequence of events, and anticipating that a least a few of them won't have the preferred outcome. Walking over to the Doctor, Liz began to question him in her usual fashion where she made him voice out his correct plans as a failsafe to see if he was suffering from a glaring oversight.  
_"I can see the gears of your brain are turning. What do you have in mind?"  
__"Hmmm. Yes, Liz. Well, I'm trying to think of a way to keep everybody informed enough that they have a general idea about what's going on, and yet not know so much that a mole or a capture would jeopardize everything."  
__"So you're thinking ahead?"  
__"Precisely"  
__"So how are you going to accomplish this task?"  
__"Well, I have no idea at the moment. I suppose I could whip up some sub-wave network communicators. But I have no idea how long that could take."  
__"Doctor, you do realize we have these things called 'group-texts'."  
__"What?"  
__"Yeah. iPhones."  
__"iPhones?"  
__"What's an iPhone? Oh, you mean those smartphones everybody seems so addicted to!"  
__"What, we're not addicted to them!"  
__"Really? What happens if you lose them?"  
__"People don't lose their iPhones."  
__"What if they break?"  
__"Doctor, even if the glass cracks a little, it can still work."  
__"Oh, really. I've already counted a multitude of reasons why iPhones and group chats…"__"group texts"__"… iPhones and group texts wouldn't work."  
__"Oh really. What are they?"  
__"First, could you guys even get cell reception on Mars? Or Ganymede? Or Callisto?"  
__"We could use your T.A.R.D.I.S. to amplify the signal."  
__"What? The T.A.R.D.I.S. is not a cellular reception tower. Although, I will admit that is very clever on your part, Liz."  
__"What are the other reasons?"  
__"Well, number two. Notice Steven. Notice Troilus. And Dodo and Vicki are at Ben and Polly's flat, iPhones are a recent human invention. They weren't exactly present on Ancient Greece or on Trenzalore, and Dodo's been out of the loop for fifty years! Whatever caused her current state wasn't going to take a break to let Dodo Chaplet acquire the latest smartphone!"  
__"I see your point. But do you have any other reasons?"  
__"Yeah. Even if you could get cell service on extraterrestrial objects, who's to say they could still electronically function? Mars is full of microscopic dust and ice. Do you have protection against two molecular substances that, if they got inside, would slowly disintegrate your phone?"  
__"Oh, yeah."  
__"Exactly. So iPhones won't work. And so I come back to my sub wave network communicators. I'll have to make some before I depart."  
__"You don't have some on hand?"  
__"No, again, unless it's a Dalek Invasion, I'm not usually coordinating something this massive. And even when it comes to Dalek Invasions, my plan is pretty much straightforward. Come in, fend off Daleks, give some sage advice to the surviving resistance, depart."  
__"Oh, you don't stick around and help rebuild."  
__"Liz, that's not in my nature. Many times I've been requested to help, the Thals, the natives Steven stayed behind to help, but I always felt I was lacking …"  
__"lacking what?"  
__"the proper mindset. I'm a wanderer of the stars, Liz. That's who I am always going to be. But what I've come to realize is that doesn't mean that I have to wander the stars all the time."  
__"Doctor, so what about those sub-wave network communicators? What's the general idea behind how they would work."  
__"Ah, yes. The advantages of the sub-wave network is that it can be set up to be undetectable. Not to mention, there is hardly any delay between receivers."  
__"Hardly any delay?"  
__"Well, let's say I'm on Mars, and you're here. It takes light a certain amount of time to travel between Earth and Mars. It takes even longer for the radio waves that your smartphones use. There would be a massive delay between communications. Whereas smartphones would be basically reduced into high level telegraphs, a sub-wave network communicator bypasses the restrictions. The waves travel throughout space much in the same way a T.A.R.D.I.S. The waves also can't be received by anybody other than the intended receiving device."  
__"Doctor, that sounds pretty good."  
__"Yeah, it does. Clara? Have you found the Marinus travel dials yet? Clara?"_


	8. DE3O2: METAL: Bookmark this!

"… _Clara? Have you found the Marinus travel dials yet? Clara?"  
__"Doctor, what could have happened to her?"  
__"I don't know, Liz."  
__"Come on, well let's get in there!"  
_The Doctor and Liz rushed into the T.A.R.D.I.S. They found Clara on the phone, talking to someone.  
_"Clara! You had us worried! Did you get the travel dials?" _the Doctor said indignantly._  
__"Yeah. They're right there. Now, shush. I'm talking to Ben about something. Ben, what were you saying?"  
__"Listen, Clara, something's off with Dodo. She fixed the old Megadrive despite the fact that she's never seen one before."  
__"You don't say."  
_At that point, the Doctor grabbed the phone.  
_"Hello, who is this? Oh, hi, Ben. Sorry about that."  
__"HEY!"_ Clara shouted.  
_"He has a tendency to do that, even when I worked with him." _Liz said to Clara.  
_"Wait, Ben, you're saying she's able to fix a broken Megadrive despite never seeing one before in her life."_ the Doctor listened to Ben's call. _"And she's able to identify the model of it? Strange. That doesn't make any sense."  
__"What is it, Doctor?"  
__"Dodo Chaplet can fix Megadrives without ever seeing one before. She was never mechanically inclined when she was my companion. Something's wrong."  
__"Hmmmm. Wait a minute, Doctor, I have something. The doctors at the hospital said that Dodo's brain waves were unusual. They indicated a higher intelligence than her IQ."  
__"Did they?"_ the Doctor said, explaining Liz's information to Ben. _"Well, in that case, Ben, I want you, Polly, and Vicki to accompany Dodo. She has be in one of your line of sights at all times. Something strange has happened to Dodo, the signs are there, and I'm not going to ignore them."  
_The Doctor hung up the phone.  
_"All right you too, let's get to work."  
_He grabbed the travel dials off of the console. Clara and Liz followed him off the T.A.R.D.I.S.  
_"All right, first I'll set the travel dials so that if you press the button it brings you back to the T.A.R.D.I.S. Press it again, it'll return you to where you were. Clara, could you take this cable and hook it up to the console unit."  
_The Doctor began downloading a program to the travel dials. Clara came over.  
_"Hey, this resembles JavaScript!"  
__"Yes, it does."  
__"How can alien technology run code similar to JavaScript?"  
__"Clara, surely if humans could create electronic code, all other species with sufficiently advanced technology could also create the same codes?"  
__"But how did they manage to come up with something so similar?"  
__"Clara, most of your planet's language descends in some shape or form from Ancient Greek and Ancient Latin."  
__"Yeah?"  
__"Well, those two languages descend from Time Lord language."  
__"Okay? So?"  
__"So? Most languages in the universe come from Time Lord language. Written language requires symbols, so it's not that far of a stretch for two languages which share a common ancestor would use the same symbols."  
__"Okay, but that doesn't explain the same code."  
__"Yes, it does. The travel dials are a rudimentary Time Lord invention that spread throughout the universe."  
__"Okay?"  
_"_That includes the programming."  
_"_So you're saying all computer programming languages to ever exist is based off the code that travel dials use?"  
__"Well, travel dials, vortex manipulators, T.A.R.D.I.S. and so forth Time Lord Technology. English has slang. Human computer code is sort of like slang, a local dialect in the computer coding universe."  
__"Okay. I'll take your word for it."  
__"Indeed, I wish had some vortex manipulators."  
__"Why?"  
__"Because then I could program in time as well."  
__"So why are you continuing to program the travel dials?"  
__"Because I have them, and I may not be able to procure enough vortex manipulators."  
__"Doctor, do you have one vortex manipulator?" _Liz asked.  
_"Yes, I do. Why?"  
__"Well, I was thinking you could set the code on the travel dials to match the time on the vortex manipulator."  
__"Yes, I could. But then I couldn't do the two way travel."  
__"Sure you could, Doctor. If you have the travel dials store previous values of time. They could go according to that."  
__"But would it even work?"  
__"That's why you test out a code before applying?"  
__"Liz Shaw, that is brilliant. That is absolutely brilliant."_ the Doctor grinned.  
_"Oh, you could keep the vortex manipulator yourself and use that as sort of the main one. Even give it the ability to take anybody wearing the travel dial with you along with you."_ Clara continued, the three were on a roll now.  
_"Well, I'd have to a DNA scan to make sure nobody could just take someone else's travel dial and end up aboard the T.A.R.D.I.S. And I'll check the metal of the travel dials. "  
__"Why, is there a certain metal you're hoping for, Doctor?"  
__"Well, that the steel would be of molybdenum alloy, and the electronic parts composed of your typical silicon coated a single atom layer of germanium."  
__"Doctor, the germanium layered silicon computer chip has only just become really cheap to make. And you're saying it could be used in time travel?"  
__"No, I'm saying that the computer chip within the travel dial would use that computer chip. You could substitute any computer chip and the travel dial would still work, so long as the computer chip has the capacity to store a program of location. The chip is independent of the travelling mechanism. It has to be."  
_. While Dodo was continuing to play Sonic 3 & Knuckles, Vicki was reading 'Theodore Rex'. She found it to be quite an enjoyable book, the prologue describing Theodore Roosevelt's reactions to William McKinley's death was gripping. She felt so sorry for Secretary of State John Hay who had seen two former presidents assassinated and his own son recently die. Edmund Morris's writing style was superb.  
. Wilfred Mott was sitting down to enjoy his lunch at his favorite cafe. He was debating with himself when he should go see both Canterbury Cathedral and Dover Castle this year. It was sort of his annual habit that he had developed since he retired a few years ago, go down to Canterbury and see the cathedral in all of history and glory. The same went for Dover Castle. Every year, he noticed something new about those two places.  
. Wilfred continued to muse about his trip; it was almost like a pilgrimage. Granted, it wasn't Chaucer, but it still had a certain air about it. Maybe he would add Windsor Castle this year if the lawn wasn't as big as the food comedian had claimed. Perhaps he could add to his bookmark collection. The last time he had been there, he had bought a King Henry VIII black one. It also had the names of all six of his queens as well as the years they were married. The King Henry VIII one was his favorite bookmark. He must ask the Doctor if he had any stories about King Henry VIII if and when he saw him next, assuming there wasn't a matter more pressing.  
. Ian Chesterton had decided to take a lunch break. He was headmaster after all, and he could make it as long as he wanted; he could let himself mull over the events until he had found a solution. There was a nice café not too far from Coal Hill School. Ian had just walked into the café when he spotted Wilfred.  
_"Hey, Wilfred!"  
_Wilfred looked up as Ian sat down.  
_"Hello, Ian. How are you?"  
__"Just fine, considering my best teacher is off on another adventure with the Doctor."  
__"The Doctor! He's back. I suppose he's gone now."  
__"No, actually, he's staying in this time period and he's in London right now."  
__"Oh, I hope the radiation didn't kill him."  
__"Well, it's the Doctor alright, so I'm assuming not. But with the way time travel works, you never know. It doesn't help that the Doctor's regenerated."  
__"Regenerated?"  
__"Yes, regenerated. Apparently, he's a Time Lord, and regeneration is when all the cells in their body get replaced. It's a healing factor."  
__"I knew he was a Time Lord, but… I don't remember him mentioning regeneration ever."  
__"So, what else is new, Wilfred?"  
__"Not much. Donna's got a promotion. And I'm trying to decide whether or not to add Windsor Castle to my yearly trip."  
__"Congratulations about Donna. And Windsor Castle? Really, Wilfred, do you think you have the endurance for a walkthrough?"  
__"I think I do, Ian. Anyway, I'm not exactly like you and Barbara."  
__"No, you're not."  
_While Wilfred and Ian continued their conversation, Troilus and Steven followed Kate Stewart. She was finishing up the tour of U.N.I.T. building.  
_"Those are the men's lavatories. That is the cafeteria. My office is in the middle of the ground floor. It has 'Kate Stewart' on the outside. Osgood functions as my secretary. Here is where we keep our old, non-essential paper files. Perhaps the two of you can start there. Page me if you find something."  
__"Alright, Kate." _Steven said. _"Come on, Troilus."_ The two men walked in.  
. The room was about 20 meters by 20 meters painted a neutral gray. The ceiling fans had four lights, one severely dimmed. There were a couple of outlets on each of the walls. There was some dust accumulating on some of the older file cabinets. A desk sat on either end, parallel to the door. It wasn't harsh, but it wasn't friendly either. The two decided to start by tabbing the Doctor's file.  
. That part was easy. Tucked away, hidden behind all the rest in a hollowed out alcove, sat the Doctor's personal file cabinet. The top cabinet was labelled "Confirmed Involvement". The second cabinet was labelled "known associates". The third cabinet was titled "Potentially Involved." The fourth was labelled. 'Parameters: Unknown.'  
_"Well, this certainly makes thing easier."_ Troilus said. _"But how do we know what we're looking for?"  
__"We don't know what we're looking for. Anything could be important."_ Steven replied. _"If you don't understand something, ask me."  
"Okay._"  
. They opened the top file cabinet. It was neatly subdivided into "Invasions" and "UNIT". Troilus took the UNIT and Steven took the Invasions. The first file Steven looked at was 'the Dalek Invasion of 1963'.  
. It read as follows: The Doctor with his companion, Ace, met Professor Jensen and a Sergeant Smith. The Daleks were invading Earth using both Coal Hill School and 76 Totter Lane as bases. The Doctor dispatched the Daleks, though Sergeant Smith and a few other men died as a result. The remaining men would begin to form U.N.I.T. during the coming five years.

Other notes: Ace used a home-made explosive she dubbed Nitro-9 to destroy a Dalek.

Doctor's Appearance: Small, with an Umbrella, question-mark motif on his clothes, and a hat. He has obviously changed appearance no longer looking like "the old geezer with white hair", but how remains a mystery, perhaps it was when the Doctor was personally younger.

. Steven found this file interesting, but lacking in substance. He moved onto the next. It was marked 'The mid-60s Yeti Invasion'. Meanwhile, Troilus was looking at a file called 'The Doctor's Arrival.' I, Brigadier Lethbridge Stewart, wrote this report.  
_**"There he is again, Kate's father." **_Troilus thought.  
. In the years since the Yeti Invasion, U.N.I.T. was founded as an organization specifically built to defending the planet against intergalactic threats. I was promoted from Colonel to Brigadier and due to his experience with the Cybermen, Corporal Benton became Sergeant Benton. In a shower of meteorites, the Doctor and his T.A.R.D.I.S., at first I suspected the two were connected, but I was wrong. The Doctor with the help of Liz Shaw dispatched the Auton Invasion from the Nestene Consciousness. (See Files on the Nestene Consciousness for more information). Though I did not know about it originally, the Doctor turned out to have regenerated. His appearance was that of an elderly man, six feet or so in height. He had particular interest in vehicular gadgets. This Doctor appears to be staying on Earth to help U.N.I.T. for the time being. (Until he fixes the T.A.R.D.I.S.O The board has told me to right a report on each individual threat. They do not have to be particularly long, but they do have to be informative. Enclosed are more details about the first attack.

_"Hey, Steven, who or what are the Cybermen?"_ Troilus asked.  
_"I have no idea, Troilus. I'm assuming mechanical men."_ Steven said. _"I just finished reading a file about an invasion headlined by the Great Intelligence. Ah, this next file, titled 'The Cyberman Invasion' should give a description. Ah, yes, here we go."  
_Steven began to read.  
Sometime after the Yeti Invasion, the Cybermen invaded London. According to the Doctor, the Cyberman originate from a rogue planet called Mondas, formerly Earth's twin planet that was imperceptible to us. These Cybermen pilot their planet all over the universe. They were a society who slowly converted all of their biological components into machine. The Doctor arrived in the nick of time to stop them.

Steven glanced down the page.  
_"Well, Troilus, here's your answer. Cybermen came from Earth's twin planet Mondas. They were organic life forms but converted every part of their body into mechanical parts."  
__"What? Why?"  
__"Troilus, if I knew, I wouldn't be questioning it as much as you."  
_. Meanwhile, the Doctor and Liz were scanning the computer components of the travel dials while Clara stood there with her arms folded. After twenty minutes, Clara started pacing back and forth. After an hour and half, even Liz Shaw was starting to get frustrated.  
_"Doctor, we've indicated that there are trace amounts of germanium and a compound of oxygen and some sort of metal present, but nothing else!"_ Liz complained.  
_"Well, look at this way, Liz, the first time we tried analyze Auton Meteorite Fragments, we did a dozen different methods of analysis without identifying a single element."  
_"_Yeah, but that was the 1970s, this is 2018. Or is our equipment still too primitive?"  
__"A little bit."_ The Doctor trailed off. "_Wait a minute, did you say a compound containing Oxygen was identified?"  
__"Yes?"  
__"With a Metal?"  
__"Yes."  
__"It's DE3O2, Liz. That's your compound."  
__"What is DE3O2, Doctor?" _Clara asked.  
_"It's the metal that Time Lords use for building their space and time travel machines."  
__"Really!?"_ Liz shouted.  
_"So… that's really the metal used in constructing the T.A.R.D.I.S.?" _Clara said, completely aghast._  
__"Well, yes. How do you think you would be able to breathe in space if the T.A.R.D.I.S. wasn't made of a metal compound that contained oxygen!"  
__"How does that work?"  
__"The T.A.R.D.I.S. splits the compound to its separate elements and whammo, you've got the oxygen needed to breathe! Okay, I'm never saying 'whammo' again."  
__"Seriously?"_ Liz asked.  
_"Yeah. 'Whammo' doesn't sound very good as a word, I don't know why I thought I could use it effectively."  
__"She meant about the T.A.R.D.I.S. splitting the compound up."_ Clara clarified.  
_"Could we possibly recreate the chemical process, Doctor?"_ Liz asked.  
_"No, even the Time Lords didn't fully understand the process. As far as they knew, the hand of Omega could synthesize any metal into creating DE3O2. Mercury worked the fastest. Immediately after, it combines with the oxygen to form the compound."  
__"So where's the Hand Of Omega, now?" _ Clara asked.  
_"On Gallifrey."  
__"Well, just pop in and go get it." _Liz said.  
_"Not that easy, Liz, considering Gallifrey is gone."  
__"What do you mean by 'gone', Doctor?" _Clara asked.  
_"I mean, the universe is currently built in a way that means I can't go home ever."  
__**Now, I see what you meant by the line 'I'm a wanderer of the stars, Liz.'** _Dr. Shaw thought.


	9. Patience with the Machine: Filing Ideas?

"_I mean, the universe is currently built in a way that means I can't go home ever."  
__**Now, I see what you meant by the line 'I'm a wanderer of the stars, Liz.'**_Dr. Shaw thought.  
_"I hate to interrupt, but isn't it like 5 PM?"_ Clara noted.  
_"Yes, it is. Clara, tell you what, why don't you go and ask Kate where Steven and Troilus are? Liz, I'm going to drop Clara and Troilus off, and then I'll come back and rejoin you and we can continue working."  
__"Alright, Doctor."_ The two agreed.  
Clara left to go find Kate Stewart, and Dr. Shaw and the Doctor continued work. It took Clara twenty minutes, but she finally found Kate Stewart's office.  
_"Oh, they're right next door."_ Kate replied, and Clara opened the door to find Steven and Troilus hard at work.  
_"Oi, what have you two been doing?"  
__"We've been researching U.N.I.T.'s files._" Steven said.  
_"And, have you found anything?"_ Clara asked.  
_"Well, U.N.I.T.'s files are very detailed about times Earth has been invaded. But we're not dealing with the Cyberman or the Daleks who invade Earth so many times it's almost laughable. We're talking about the Great Intelligence and a host of other threats that U.N.I.T. has only sporadically, if ever dealt with."_ Steven recapped.  
_"What time is it?"_ Troilus asked.  
_"About 5." _Clara replied_. "Come on, the Doctor's taking us home."  
__"Great Scott, we've been here nearly three hours."_ Steven said.  
The three went back to the laboratory.  
_"Ah, Steven, I'd appreciate it if you stayed here with Mrs. Shaw to help us research some more. Assuming you're up to it, of course. I'm going to drop Clara and Troilus off. Don't worry, I'll be back."_  
_"Sure thing, Doctor._" Steven said.  
While the Doctor took Clara to her home and dropped Troilus off at Ben and Polly's. Kate Stewart was discussing matters with President Perrier and the Board (save for Mrs. Shaw).  
**Astrid**_**: Kate, is the Doctor making any progress?  
**_**Kate**_**: Yes, according to Mrs. Oswald, he's working closely with Mrs. Shaw to modify personal devices that will allow him and his companions to help out physically on Mars."  
**_**Member #2**_**: What devices?  
**_**Kate: **_**He claims they come from Marinus. He called them travel dials. He and Mrs. Shaw are changing how they work to allow for more mobility and range for exploration on Mars. He's also creating breathing apparatuses.  
**_**Member #3: **_**I see, the Professor's trying to cover all of his bases for once.  
**_**Member #4: **_**And what about Dodo Chaplet and the rest of the Doctor's companions?  
**_**Kate**_**: Well, Dodo is being watched by Ben, Polly, and Vicki Pallister. Steven and Troilus are going through U.N.I.T.'s old paper files to look for clues.  
**_**Member #3: **_**And what about Ian and Barbara?  
**_**Kate: **_**Their involvement seems limited at best. The Doctor mostly uses them as messengers or in Barbara's case to fetch Dodo Chaplet's academic records.  
**_**Member #2: **_**Well, the Doctor is a bit of chessmaster.  
**_**Member #4**_**: He appears to be more a general in this case.  
**__**Astrid: So how soon until the Doctor is ready to go?  
**__**Kate: Between five and nine days, operate as though he'll need about a week.  
**_**Member #3**_**: He could move faster.  
**_**Member #2:**_** I agree.  
**_**Member #4: **_**The Doctor has his reasons for requesting this amount of time, he'll need it all, most likely to either finish it, or to double check everything so that there isn't something wrong.  
**_Meanwhile, Steven was asking about Mrs. Shaw's adventures with the Doctor.  
_"Oh, I never went on any adventures with him. All of my time I spent with him, we were in U.N.I.T.'s labs combating this or that."  
__"So, what caused you to separate?"  
__"I felt my resources weren't being used properly. The Doctor is infinitely more capable than I. I slowly felt like all I was doing was handing him test tubes and telling him how brilliant he is. So I left, pursued my own path."  
__"And how did that turn out?"  
__"Oh, it turned out well. I met my husband because of my choice. Sadly, he passed away a few years ago."  
__"I'm sorry to hear that."  
__"No need to be."  
_Just then, the Doctor returned.  
_"All right, you two, let's get working!"  
_. Vicki had reached a point in 'Theodore Rex' where she thought she should stop and take a break. After four hours, she was 125 pages in, and what she had encountered had intrigued her. She closed her eyes and thought about what she had read. Theodore Roosevelt struck her in many ways to have a personality similar to the Doctor. He had to always be doing something. Not only was he was a friend to all children, but sometimes he was the biggest child of them all. That being said, if he could be serious if circumstances required him.  
. Dodo though was not beginning to be tired of Sonic 3 & Knuckles at all. She had beaten the game with Sonic & Tails, and now she was starting a Knuckles playthrough. Ben and Polly were in their bedroom. Polly was taking a nap, and Ben was re-reading 'To Rule the Waves: How the British Navy Shaped the Modern World' by Arthur Herman. Granted the book was old, having been published in 2004, but Ben still considered it excellent. It stopped at the end of the Great War (World War I) because at about that time, America finally surpassed British in naval excellence for World War II. And as for the state of both navies today? Ben felt he would let the history books decide the qualities and drawbacks of them. He just hoped the commentary on both was as excellent as the analysis he had just finished... again. Ben looked at the clock. Gently shaking Polly awake, he asked if it was time for dinner.  
_"You're right, Ben. Where are we going to take the girls?"  
__"I don't know, Polly. You're the food and restaurant expert of the two of us. I thought you might have an idea."  
__"You just say that because you __**think**__ the navy destroyed your taste buds."_ Polly teasingly replied.  
. Clara sat in her home on Baker Street. She had no idea what to do now. Was she supposed to wait by the phone in case the Doctor called her? Was she meant to take the night off? What? At that point, she got a phone call from an unknown number.  
_**"Hello, Mrs. Oswald."  
**__**"Who are you?"  
**__**"I'm a member of the U.N.I.T. board of directors like Mrs. Elizabeth Shaw. I hear the Professor is making progress."  
**__**"Oh, you mean 'the Doctor'."  
**__**"Yeah, I meant the Professor."  
**__**"Why do you call him 'the Professor'? Have you met him before?"  
**__**"You could say that."  
**__**"So, why are you calling?"  
**__**"I'm calling to get information."  
**__**"And why should I trust you? You could be an impostor."  
**__**"Trust me, I'm not an impostor."  
**__**"That's what they all say."  
**__**"Look, I'll prove it to you. I was present in 1963 when two factions of Daleks invaded London. I even called the war between the blobs. But anyway, all of the Daleks were looking for the Hand of Omega which the Professor had hidden. U.N.I.T., or rather their predecessors covered it up because they were concerned about public safety.  
**__**"You know about the Hand Of Omega?"  
**__**"Of course, I know about the Hand of Omega. I studied it extensively. But my studies were interrupted shall we say."  
**__**"Look, the Doctor would like to know about the Hand of Omega and what you've learned."  
**__**"What good will it do him? The Hand of Omega is on Gallifrey, and can't be retrieved."  
**__**"Good point."  
**__**"Have I convinced you to trust me yet?"  
**__**"What? How?"  
**__**"Well, I knew all about the Hand of Omega, its location, and the 1963 Dalek Invasion, despite the fact that you never told me anything about it. I even give you my recollections of my color commentary on the whole incident. I couldn't have known about it unless I was there. "  
**__**"Fair point."  
**__**"So now, will you inform me about what the Professor is doing?"  
**__**"Let's see, he's taking travel dials and modifying them. He's also networking them to a vortex manipulator. And he's creating breathing apparatuses."  
**__**"I see, and how's Dodo Chaplet?"  
**__**"Well, she can instinctively fix Megadrives now."  
**__**"Really? Are you sure?"  
**__**"According to a conversation between Ben and the Doctor'."  
**__**"So Ben told the Professor something."  
**__**"Yes. Why do you keep calling him 'the Professor' anyway? He's the Doctor."  
**__**"Ever since I first met him, I've always called him the Professor."  
**__**"Are you a former companion?"  
**__**"Possibly."  
**__**"Why won't you tell me?"  
**__**"Because that would narrow down the list to whom I might be for potential phone wiretappers.  
**__**"You think my phone is being tapped?"  
**__**"It's possible. I can't take any chances. U.N.I.T. is a secretive organization after all, and it can't be widely known who's on its board of directors. If it got out… well, the results would be explosive."  
**__**"But you just threw out Mrs. Shaw's name without any hesitation just now?"  
**__**"She's the public relations board member. It's a well-known fact that she's on the board."  
**__**"So who are you? And why do you get the feeling that those explosives you mentioned might be Nitro-9?"  
**_. Clara couldn't see the person on the other hand of the line, but as the empty dial tone rang in her ear, she could swear that the person was grinning from ear to ear from the conversation. She spent the rest of the evening pondering about the conversation.  
. Eventually Clara went up to bed. She was grateful for her bedroom. The Doctor offered to let her sleep on the T.A.R.D.I.S. Clara had refused, citing 'unresolved differences with the T.A.R.D.I.S.'  
**_"Really, are you sure? Why?"_**  
**_"Let's just say I see myself on the T.A.R.D.I.S. too much."_**  
**_"Like in a mirror?"_**  
**_"It's kinda hard to explain."_**  
**_"Dear oh, dear, she's breaking the first law of time again. What did you do to make her mad?"_**  
**_"I didn't do anything! I just went to the bathroom and when I came back, my bedroom was gone."_**  
**_"Oh. That's new. She's never done that before."_**  
**_"Well, this isn't exactly new, my squabbling with the T.A.R.D.I.S."_**  
**_"What?"_**  
**_"Where have you been?"_**  
**_"What?"  
_****_"Yeah, you haven't noticed any of it?"_**  
**_"Yeah, but we do agree on a couple of things. 'You're in a co-dependent relationship with your screwdriver.' AND 'If you had to choose between an enormous, complicated machine you could talk to and a girl, you'd go with the machine.'"_**  
**_"The machine's easier to understand!"  
_****_"Really? Really?"  
"Well, it is. Unlike machines and their engineering complexities, Emotions aren't really my strong suit. "  
__"Wait, why did you go with the Doctor, if you fancy yourself more to be an Engineer?"  
"Because 'the Doctor' makes a much better name than 'the Engineer'."  
"Wait, is that really it?"  
"Maybe." He grinned, maybe he was serious, maybe he was.  
_****_"Well, you need to pay better attention to your surroundings."_**  
**_"I do pay attention well. I can notice the small things, such as when people lose buttons on their coat. That's how much I pay attention to my surroundings."_**  
**_"Who lost their coat button?"_**  
**_"Ian"_**  
**_"When?"_**  
**_"We jumped a time track and ended up in a Morok Space Museum."_**  
**_"Okay, did it turn out to be important?"_**  
**_"No."_**  
**_"My point exactly. You don't see exactly what's in front of you. Anyway at that museum, did you guys see anything interesting?"_**  
**_"Well, because we jumped a time track, we saw ourselves in glass boxes as museum exhibits."_**  
**_"Oh, dear. But you escaped?"_**  
**_"Yes. It's difficult to explain, you might ask Vicki about it. I don't remember much about it because soon after The Chase began."_**  
**_"The Chase?"_**  
**_"The sequence of events that lead to Ian and Barbara departing, we were chased through time and space by Daleks. Actually I met Steven only about half an hour before Ian and Barbara departed."_**  
. Thanks to her granddaughters, Polly had thought only horrible Fanfiction produced such absurdity. She was wrong. Mixing a time machine and Mario Party was equally capable of producing such ridiculousness. An ancient Greek warrior, a girl who hadn't aged in fifty years, the senior admiral of the British Navy, and a girl native to the 25th century were arguing over _Mario Party_. And two of them were dating!  
_"I hate Chance Time!" _Dodo screamed. _"It always screws me over. I have the perfect strategy. "  
__"Yeah, Chance Time does that, Dodo."_ Ben replied. He felt like he was playing with his grandchildren again. No, scratch that. His grandchildren took the bad luck much more maturely than them.  
_"But Vicki's gotten really lucky so far. She's gotten two stars from hidden blocks and -D'oh, I missed!"_ Troilus commented.  
_"What can I say? I have amazing luck."_ Vicki smiled.  
Polly face-faulted.  
"_Oh, by the way, Dodo,_ _strategy in Mario Party? Really? I'm an Ancient Greek Warrior shrouded in myth! Shakespeare wrote a play based off of my life! I'm seen my share of battles including the Trojan War! What pours into those battles are strategy. Okay. Chess is strategy. This is not."  
__"Troilus, stop monologuing!" _Ben pointed out. _"We're trying to win a mini-game here!"  
__"Oh, Troilus, you're wrong." _Vicki said.  
_"What? But it's all true." _Troilus replied.  
_"Shakespeare wrote the play about __**our**__ lives."  
_. The Doctor, Steven, and Liz had just finished the technical enhancements on the first travel dials. The three were attempting to pair up the vortex manipulator with the first travel dial in an attempt to iron out any programming difficulties before they further converted the others.  
. Sitting around the T.A.R.D.I.S. console, the Doctor was attempting to program to use the T.A.R.D.I.S. mainframe in order to program the time values into the travel dial. Steven was working on the dimensional navigation, and Liz Shaw was programming the fail-safes, such as making the default setting to bring the travel dial wearer to the vortex manipulator. She also was making sure that the travel dial had an option to go directly to the T.A.R.D.I.S. instead.  
_"Oh, it's no use."_ The Doctor said, furrowing his brow. Unlike the other two, he wasn't making as much progress.  
_"What's wrong, Doctor?"_ Steven asked.  
_"Oh, nothing I'm just trying to program time into a machine that doesn't have a time value. This is a puzzle."  
__"Doctor, I'm sure there's a workaround."  
__"Yes, I'm sure it is. And it's time you too get some rest. I'm going to stay up and try to work this out."  
__"Alright, Doctor, but where is the T.A.R.D.I.S. staying tonight?"  
__"I'll make it stay at Ben & Polly's. I stored where I landed in their room from the last time. It was in a corner, I believe. I'll make it land there again. Don't worry. I have their permission to land the T.A.R.D.I.S. in their sitting room anytime."  
_It was 10 PM local time, and the T.A.R.D.I.S. materialized in the exact same spot as last time. The game of Mario Party had just finished.  
_"Hello, Ben, Polly, Dodo, Vicki, Troilus…. What were you five doing?"  
__"Doctor, the four of them were playing Mario Party."_ Polly said.  
_"Mario Party? Really?"  
__"Yes."  
__"Oh, okay. Perhaps I'll give it a try."  
__"Doctor, you really should. It's fun."_ Vicki said, grinning ear to ear.  
_"You're just saying that because you won the board."_ Troilus countered.  
_"It's fun as long as chance time doesn't screw you over." _Dodo muttered.  
_"Alright, you lot, it's time for bed everyone."_ Ben said.  
_"Yes, I agree."_ Polly said. _"Dodo, Vicki, why don't you go to your rooms? Mrs. Shaw, we have a guest room."  
__"Thank you."  
__"Troilus, Steven, you can sleep on the T.A.R.D.I.S." _the Doctor said.  
_"Actually, I'm not tired at all."_ Dodo said.  
_"And neither am I."_ Vicki said. "_Can the two of us watch television?"  
__"Sure, I don't see why not."_ Ben said. _"Just don't wake everybody up."  
__"Okay."  
__"Well, everybody, good night." _Troilus said, walking into the T.A.R.D.I.S.  
_"I'll show you to the way to the guest room, Liz_." Polly said.  
_"Ben, Polly, is there something in the refrigerator or pantry I can eat? I wander to eat some more Earth food."  
__"Sure, Steven. I'll show you where the pantry is. You can help yourself to anything." Ben said, as he led Steven to the pantry.  
__"Thank you, Ben."  
__"No problem."_ Ben lowered his voice. _"Hey, listen, could you do a pair of favors for me?"  
_"_What are they?"  
_"_Well, as long as you're eating in the kitchen, could you keep an ear out on the girls?"  
_"_Sure. Anything else?"  
_"_Yeah. Could you also write down what you ate? Polly's a stickler for food management. She doesn't like it at all when there isn't food she was expecting available. It's her main pet peeve. "  
_. Steven chuckled. _"Sure, no problem, Ben. Hey, I'm not just going to be eating in here. With Kate's permission, I took the files I read at U.N.I..T. today, and I'm going to give them a second comb over."  
_"_Well, why can't you do it in the T.A.R.D.I.S.?" _Ben asked. It was reasonable question.  
"_The Doctor is trying to circumvent some restrictions on a travel dial. He's very frustrated right now, and implied he wanted some space. And also, I'm hungry. The Doctor doesn't stop for food when he really wants to solve a problem, and this is one of them."  
_"_Oh, I see. Er, what is a travel dial anyway? You know what, on second thought, I'll ask it again tomorrow morning." _Ben said, and he went up the stairs to bed. Steven looked around the pantry.  
"_Hmm… what to eat?"  
_. He spotted the tortilla bread, and got back to looking at those files. Meanwhile, the Doctor was frustrated, and then he realized that he hadn't eaten in a while. He may not have known his sleep cycle, but he sure knew his eating cycle. Wandering into the kitchen, he spotted Steven closing up the files.  
_"Oh, hello, Steven. What are you doing here?"  
__"I was just reviewing the files, Doctor."  
__"What files?"  
__"The files I read today at U.N.I.T. Kate Stewart let me borrow them."  
__"Oh, I see. Find anything interesting."  
__"Yeah. I never knew the Daleks invaded Earth in 1963."  
__"The Daleks did invade Earth in 1963."  
__"Then how come that one isn't mentioned in the history books? The 2164 invasion is mentioned. The 2010 invasion where Earth got dragged across the universe got mentioned."  
_The Doctor stopped.  
_"That's the first time I've heard someone acknowledge that that happened."  
__"What?"  
__"Back when I was the Tenth Doctor, I ran into the Cult of Skaro in the 1930s. At the end of it, Dalek Caan activated an Emergency Temporal Shift -"  
__"Daleks have individual names?"  
"The Cult of Skaro did. They were the Daleks whose purposes was to think like the enemy. By the end of that encounter, Dalek Caan was the last of the Daleks. Or at least I thought so."  
"What?"  
"You see, Dalek Caan rescues Davros from the very beginning of the Time War, that invasion in 1963."  
"So the Time War began in 1963?"  
"Well from Earth's perspective, but not exactly. It's part of the complexities of time travel. But anyway, Davros was brought to 2010 where he and the Daleks attempted to destroy all of the universe itself. But Davros appeared to be destroyed."  
"So what's the problem?"  
"You see, Davros came in 2010. And I once met the Daleks in 1941 as the Eleventh Doctor. The Daleks were posing as these machines to help Winston Churchill and Britain defend against Nazi Germany. My companion, Amy Pond, showed no recreation of that 2010 invasion even though she should have."  
"So the Daleks just traveled back in time."  
"No. It's more than that."  
"Why? Because five new, 'pure' Daleks came out of that. And Davros was nowhere to be seen."  
"But you said he'd had been destroyed, so what's wrong with the Dalek time travel backwards?"  
"You see, Steven. The Daleks' time travel is rudimentary at best. They rarely ever use time travel because it could destroy them. Oh, they can use space-travel but travelling backwards in time? No, they wouldn't risk it."  
"What about the Time War you just mentioned?"  
"Even during the Time War. The Time Lords tried on many occasions to send someone back to change the history of the Daleks, but they all failed. They even sent me back once."  
"And you failed."  
"It's the Destiny Trap. You can't change history if you're part of it. But I don't have the right to commit genocide."  
_Steven stared at the Doctor. He could see just how old the Doctor really was._  
"So what do you think happened?"  
"Well, I think they're two factions of Daleks I'm actually dealing with. One of them, the one more prone to humanoid thinking: the Cult of Skaro and Davros, and the other one which is more prone to machine thinking: the Dalek Paradigm. Or to put it in the terms of politics, there's the liberal Daleks and the conservative Daleks."  
"You can't be serious."  
"Oh, I am. It's the only way to explain the discrepancies."  
"Why would the Daleks have politics? They're not even humanoid!"  
"Are you sure about that?"  
"What? You're telling me that the Daleks are humanoid?"  
"Yes."  
"But those machines with their eyestalks and weaponry can't ever have been humanoid!"  
"They were. I've seen it myself. And that's why I felt it was wrong for me to commit genocide."  
"Oh, I see. In every encounter, you try to neutralize the Dalek threat without actually killing them. You're going easy on them?"  
"Going easy on them? Going easy on them? Steven, the Daleks give me more trouble than even the Cybermen. It -"  
"Doctor, what? What?"  
"I just thought of something involving the Daleks and the Cybermen."  
"Can you tell me what it is?"  
"No, I can't. Not until I've got all the details of the theory ironed out."  
_Steven rolled his eyes._  
__"Going to write the history books, eh, Doctor?"  
"What? What do you history books say?"  
__"Doctor, I was always more a math-science student when I was at school. I always slept through history class." "  
__"How ironic." _The Doctor looked disgruntled_. "Well, there could be a reason you slept through history class as a child."  
__"What do you mean?"  
__"Well, one time I was with Ian, Barbara, and my granddaughter Susan. It was during the Reign of Terror, late 18__th __century Paris. We ran into a young Napoleon Bonaparte."  
__"So?"  
__"Well, we considered what would have happened had we done something to Napoleon. Like say, if we had shot him. Would the bullet have just missed? Would it have become intangible? We also thought about writing him a letter. But we came to the conclusion that he wouldn't have followed the information."  
__"What?"  
__"Yes, humans actually have a term for this sort of conjecture, 'Hitler's Time Traveling Exemption. Act.'  
__"They named their conjecture after a ruthless dictator?"  
__"Yes. Because the what-if solution most frequently brought up was 'What if someone could travel back in time to kill Hitler?'"  
__"Okay, that makes some more sense."  
__"Yeah, Amy, Rory, and I actually ended up saving Hitler's life."  
__"WHAT?"  
__"Ugh. Yeah. Long complicated story. We had to save me from Amy and Rory's daughter."  
__"How does that work?"  
__"It's complicated, but she goes by River Song. And we keep meeting out of order. Or is it kept meeting out of order?"  
__"How'd you save Hitler?"  
__"Rory Williams shoved Hitler into the cupboard."  
_Steven stared quizzically at the Doctor._ "Shoving Hitler into a cupboard? Okay. That's a new one."  
__"Okay, Doctor. Back to Napoleon and the letter."  
__"What? Oh, yes."  
__"My dear fellow, he would have lost the letter, or thought it was written by a maniac or forgotten about it, or disregarded it, or something."  
__"Oh, I see. So what does that have to do with me sleeping through history class as a youngster?"  
__"Well, perhaps you slept through history class because if you hadn't, you would accidentally spoil something, give out information that shouldn't have been known."  
_. The Doctor spotted a bag of pretzel sticks.  
_"Oooh. Pretzel Sticks, I like pretzel sticks. And you know what? I'm in the mood for some Tostitos as well."_ the Doctor said, taking a notice of the light T.A.R.D.I.S. blue bag.  
_"You know what, Doctor? I'm finished. Do you want to take a bowl of both snacks into the T.A.R.D.I.S. and continue our conversation there?"  
__"Sure, why not?"  
__"Oh, yeah. There's a piece of paper on the counter. You should write down what you're eating. Ben told me that Polly loves to have up-to-date knowledge on her food inventory."  
_. The Doctor scribbled his snack down in his messy handwriting, and the two went back to the T.A.R.D.I.S., they spotted Vicki asleep on the couch with the T.V. still on. Dodo had apparently gone up to bed earlier.  
_"Let's leave her. I hate to wake her." the Doctor said as he looked at Vicki's sleeping face, and his mind wandering all the way back to when he met her on the planet Dido, and her situation. And his, too."  
__"Alright, Doctor."  
_The two men walked into the control room.  
_"So, Doctor, something else I found. It was in the file about the occasion when the Great Intelligence invaded London through the Underground."  
__"Yeah, what is it?"  
__"Well, it says here, that in your first meeting with the Brigadier, you gave U.N.I.T. a bit of information about a previous encounter with them."  
__"Yes. What information did I tell Lethbridge-Stewart?"  
__"You mentioned about the robotic yeti."  
__"Well, yes. I was relaying to the Brigadier my past experience because I thought it might help."  
__"Well, it says here you mentioned something else. You mentioned someone by the name, the Brigadier couldn't pronounce it or spell it for the report, and well, I think it may explain why Dodo hasn't aged in fifty years."  
__"Oh, dear. I remember what happened very well. I hope you're wrong about Dodo, of course, but I highly doubt it, considering the Megadrive."  
__"Well, Doctor, is it possible?"  
__"Steven, we'll just have to wait and see."_


End file.
